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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2020-35176

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.8 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
In AWStats through 7.8, cgi-bin/awstats.pl?config= accepts a partial absolute pathname (omitting the initial /etc), even though it was intended to only read a file in the /etc/awstats/awstats.conf format. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2017-1000501 and CVE-2020-29600.

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

AWStats 7.8 and earlier contains a path traversal vulnerability in cgi-bin/awstats.pl where the config parameter accepts partial absolute pathnames, bypassing intended restrictions to only read files from /etc/awstats/ in awstats.conf format. This is an incomplete fix for prior CVEs (CVE-2017-1000501 and CVE-2020-29600), allowing attackers to potentially read configuration or sensitive files outside the intended directory.

MitigationImplement strict path validation ensuring the config parameter only accepts files within /etc/awstats/ matching the awstats.conf naming pattern, rejecting any path traversal attempts or partial paths.

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
Affected:= 9.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 32= 33
AwstatsApplication
Affected:<= 7.8

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
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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 installed AWStats version
    Locate the awstats.pl or awstats.cgi file (commonly in /usr/lib/cgi-bin/, /var/www/cgi-bin/, or /cgi-bin/) and check its version header: grep -i 'version' awstats.pl | head -5 or look for $VERSION variable in the file
    Affected if Version is 7.8 or earlier, or the file exists but version cannot be determined on affected Debian 9.0 or Fedora 32/33 systems
  2. Confirm web CGI interface is accessible
    Check if awstats.pl or awstats.cgi is accessible via the web server by accessing http://yourserver/cgi-bin/awstats.pl or similar path
    Affected if The CGI script is exposed and reachable via HTTP/HTTPS
  3. Inspect awstats configuration for path restrictions
    Examine /etc/awstats/awstats.conf (or the main awstats config file) for DirData, DirConfig, or similar directives that define allowed directories; also check for any AllowToUpdateStatsFromBrowser or restricted config patterns
    Affected if No strict path validation exists restricting config parameter to only /etc/awstats/ files in awstats.conf format, or no restrictions found on which config files can be loaded
  4. Test config parameter behavior (if accessible)
    If the web interface is exposed, attempt a request with a config parameter pointing outside /etc/awstats/ such as /etc/passwd or ../etc/passwd to observe if file content is returned
    Affected if The config parameter accepts partial paths or path traversal sequences and returns file contents from outside /etc/awstats/

A user is affected if AWStats version 7.8 or earlier is installed with the CGI interface accessible, and the config parameter lacks proper validation restricting reads to only /etc/awstats/ awstats.conf files.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.8
Interim mitigation

Implement strict path validation ensuring the config parameter only accepts files within /etc/awstats/ matching the awstats.conf naming pattern, rejecting any path traversal attempts or partial paths.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2020-35176 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
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