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Insider Threat Management ServerApplication · Proofpoint

CVE-2020-10658

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-01-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.9.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The Proofpoint Insider Threat Management Server (formerly ObserveIT Server) before 7.9.1 contains a vulnerability in the ITM application server's WriteImage API. The vulnerability allows an anonymous remote attacker to execute arbitrary code with local administrator privileges. The vulnerability is caused by improper deserialization.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Proofpoint Insider Threat Management Server before version 7.9.1 contains a deserialization vulnerability in the WriteImage API. This improper deserialization flaw allows an anonymous remote attacker to execute arbitrary code with local administrator privileges without authentication.

MitigationUpgrade to version 7.9.1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to the ITM server and monitor for indicators of compromise.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Insider Threat Management ServerApplication
Affected:< 7.9.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Proofpoint ITM Server is installed
    Check running services or installed programs for evidence of Proofpoint Insider Threat Management (formerly known as ObserveIT)
    Affected if The Proofpoint ITM Server service or application is found on the system
  2. Determine the installed version
    Locate the ITM Server application and check its version number against the affected range (< 7.9.1)
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 7.9.1
  3. Verify WriteImage API accessibility
    Check if the WriteImage API endpoint is accessible on the ITM Server (typically over HTTP/HTTPS on the server port)
    Affected if The WriteImage API is exposed and reachable over the network
  4. Check network exposure
    Determine whether the ITM Server port is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet
    Affected if The server is accessible from untrusted network segments without proper firewall restrictions
  5. Confirm authentication status
    Verify whether the WriteImage API permits unauthenticated requests
    Affected if Anonymous/unauthenticated access to the WriteImage API is permitted

The environment is affected if Proofpoint ITM Server is installed with a version lower than 7.9.1 and the WriteImage API is accessible without authentication.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.9.1 or later
Fixed in 7.9.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to version 7.9.1 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to the ITM server and monitor for indicators of compromise.

Recommended fix High confidence

7.9.1

  1. Identify the current version of the Proofpoint Insider Threat Management Server installation
  2. Download the Insider Threat Management Server version 7.9.1 or later from the official Proofpoint download portal
  3. Review the Proofpoint upgrade documentation for ITM Server before beginning the upgrade
  4. Create a complete backup of the current ITM Server configuration and database
  5. Stop the Insider Threat Management Server services
  6. Install version 7.9.1 or later following the official upgrade procedure
  7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the server version
  8. Restart the ITM Server services

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Insider Threat Management Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,760
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,416.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-10658 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data