Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian
CVE-2020-24361
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 · uneditedSNMPTT before 1.4.2 allows attackers to execute shell code via EXEC, PREXEC, or unknown_trap_exec.
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 confidenceSNMPTT before 1.4.2 contains a command injection vulnerability in the EXEC, PREXEC, and unknown_trap_exec handlers. These configuration directives process SNMP trap data and pass it to external commands without sufficient input sanitization, allowing authenticated or remote attackers to inject arbitrary shell commands.
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
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 9.0< 1.4.2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed SNMPTT versionRun 'snmptt --version' or check the package version with 'dpkg -l | grep snmptt' (Debian) or 'rpm -q snmptt' (RHEL-based). Also check the snmptt.ini or snmptt.conf files for a version directive.Affected if The installed version is lower than 1.4.2, or the version cannot be determined and the package is from an older release.
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Locate SNMPTT configuration filesFind the main configuration files - typically /etc/snmp/snmptt.ini or /etc/snmp/snmptt.conf. Check the [EXEC] and [PREXEC] sections, and look for the unknown_trap_exec setting.Affected if Configuration files exist and contain any EXEC, PREXEC, or unknown_trap_exec directives.
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Inspect EXEC handler configurationSearch the snmptt.conf file for lines beginning with 'EXEC' or 'EVENT' with an EXEC action. These indicate handlers that execute external commands on trap reception.Affected if Any EXEC directives are present and active in the configuration.
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Inspect PREXEC handler configurationSearch the configuration for 'PREXEC' directives, which execute commands before the main EXEC handler runs.Affected if Any PREXEC directives are present and active in the configuration.
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Inspect unknown_trap_exec handler configurationLook for the 'unknown_trap_exec' parameter in the [TrapFiles] section of snmptt.ini or at the top of snmptt.conf. This defines a command executed when a trap does not match any defined handler.Affected if The unknown_trap_exec parameter is set to any executable value.
A system is affected if SNMPTT version is below 1.4.2 AND any of the EXEC, PREXEC, or unknown_trap_exec handlers are configured and enabled in the SNMPTT configuration files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped1.4.2
Upgrade to SNMPTT version 1.4.2 or later. Until patched, restrict SNMP service access and audit/disable vulnerable EXEC, PREXEC, and unknown_trap_exec configurations.
SNMPTT version 1.4.2 or later
- 1. Check current SNMPTT version: snmptt --version
- 2. For Debian 9.0 systems, update package lists: apt-get update
- 3. Upgrade SNMPTT to version 1.4.2 or later: apt-get install snmptt
- 4. Verify the installed version: snmptt --version
- 5. Review SNMPTT configuration files (/etc/snmp/snmptt.ini and /etc/snmp/snmptt.conf) to ensure no unintended EXEC/PREEXEC commands are configured with user-supplied input
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Debian Linux
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,728.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-24361 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-24361 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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