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Netiq Privileged Access ManagerApplication · Microfocus

CVE-2020-11847

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.7 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
SSH authenticated user when access the PAM server can execute an OS command to gain the full system access using bash. This issue affects Privileged Access Manager before 3.7.0.1.

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 · moderate confidence

An authenticated SSH user on Micro Focus Privileged Access Manager before version 3.7.0.1 can execute arbitrary operating system commands via bash, potentially gaining full system access. This appears to be a command injection vulnerability in the PAM server's SSH authentication handling.

MitigationUpgrade Privileged Access Manager to version 3.7.0.1 or later to patch the command injection vulnerability.

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
Netiq Privileged Access ManagerApplication
Affected:< 3.7= 3.7

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Confirm Micro Focus NetIQ PAM is installed
    Locate the PAM server installation directory or check for running processes named 'PAM', 'Privileged Access Manager', or associated services
    Affected if The product is not present, the check is not applicable
  2. Identify installed PAM version
    Check the PAM server's version information through its admin console, about page, or version file in the installation directory
    Affected if The installed version is less than 3.7.0.1 (versions < 3.7 or = 3.7 are affected)
  3. Verify SSH access is enabled in PAM
    Review PAM configuration settings to confirm SSH access is permitted for user authentication
    Affected if SSH access is enabled and the version is in the affected range
  4. Confirm bash shell access for authenticated SSH users
    Check PAM user settings to determine if any authenticated SSH users have bash shell access or command execution capabilities
    Affected if Authenticated SSH users have bash shell access enabled and the PAM version is affected
  5. Review SSH user privilege levels
    Examine PAM's user access controls to identify any users with privileged or administrative SSH access
    Affected if Privileged SSH users exist and the PAM version is in the affected range

If Micro Focus NetIQ Privileged Access Manager version 3.7 or earlier is installed with SSH authentication enabled, the environment is likely affected by this command injection vulnerability.

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 3.7 or later
Fixed in 3.7
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Privileged Access Manager to version 3.7.0.1 or later to patch the command injection vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.7.0.1 or later

  1. 1. Back up the current NetIQ Privileged Access Manager configuration and data
  2. 2. Download the fixed version 3.7.0.1 or later from the official NetIQ downloads page
  3. 3. Review NetIQ upgrade documentation for your current version to ensure compatibility
  4. 4. Apply the upgrade following NetIQ's standard upgrade procedure for PAM
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the PAM service is running correctly
  6. 6. Test that SSH authenticated users can no longer execute arbitrary OS commands
  7. 7. Confirm the version shows 3.7.0.1 or later in the admin console
Caveat Review NetIQ upgrade documentation for any configuration changes or migration steps required when upgrading to 3.7.0.1

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

Fix this in Netiq Privileged Access Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,800
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,080.

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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-2020-11847 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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