CVE-2020-25621
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in SolarWinds N-Central 12.3.0.670. The local database does not require authentication: security is only based on ability to access a network interface. The database has keys and passwords.
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 confidenceSolarWinds N-Central 12.3.0.670 ships with a local database that requires no authentication; access is protected solely by network interface controls. The unprotected database contains sensitive keys and passwords, allowing any local or network-attacker who can reach the database interface to read these credentials.
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= 12.3.0.670CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 the installed N-Central versionQuery the SolarWinds N-Central application or system information to retrieve the exact version number. Typically found in the About section of the N-Central admin console, or via command line tools provided by SolarWinds.Affected if The installed version is exactly 12.3.0.670 (this specific build is affected; other versions may have different states)
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Verify database authentication statusExamine the database configuration files or settings for the local database that ships with N-Central. Look for parameters that control authentication requirements or user credentials for database access.Affected if Database authentication is disabled or set to not required (the vulnerability requires the database to be accessible without credentials)
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Confirm database network bindingInspect the database configuration to determine which network interfaces the database is bound to (for example, listening on all interfaces versus localhost only).Affected if The database is bound to a network-accessible interface (0.0.0.0) rather than localhost only, making it reachable over the network
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Check for sensitive data in the databaseIf database access is confirmed, examine the database contents for stored credentials, keys, or passwords that are stored in plaintext or with weak encryption.Affected if Sensitive credentials or keys are found stored in an unencrypted or weakly protected state within the database
A system is affected if it runs N-Central version 12.3.0.670 AND the local database has authentication disabled AND the database is network-accessible with sensitive data stored unprotected.
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.
From vendor dataEnable database authentication, encrypt stored keys and passwords, and implement proper access controls. Consider network segmentation to limit exposure of the database interface.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-25621 — 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-2020-25621 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data