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System RecoveryApplication · Veritas

CVE-2020-36160

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-01-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 21.2 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
An issue was discovered in Veritas System Recovery before 21.2. On start-up, it loads the OpenSSL library from \usr\local\ssl. This library attempts to load the from \usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf configuration file, which does not exist. By default, on Windows systems, users can create directories under C:\. A low privileged user can create a C:\usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf configuration file to load a malicious OpenSSL engine, resulting in arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM when the service starts. This gives the attacker administrator access on the system, allowing the attacker (by default) to access all data and installed applications, etc. If the system is also an Active Directory domain controller, then this can affect the entire domain.

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

Veritas System Recovery loads OpenSSL from \usr\local\ssl on startup and attempts to load a configuration file from C:\usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf. A low-privilege Windows user can create this directory structure and inject a malicious OpenSSL engine configuration, achieving arbitrary code execution as the SYSTEM user (the service account).

MitigationCreate the expected C:\usr\local\ssl\ directory with a legitimate openssl.cnf file and restrict permissions to prevent unprivileged modification. Alternatively, patch to version 21.2 or later.

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
System RecoveryApplication
Affected:< 21.2

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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. Verify Veritas System Recovery is installed
    Check for the service in Windows Services (services.msc) or query via command: sc query vxfsr or look in Program Files for Veritas folder
    Affected if Service exists and is installed on the system
  2. Check installed version of Veritas System Recovery
    Run: wmic product where "name like 'Veritas System Recovery'" get version, or check version in Add/Remove Programs, or check file version of SRTask.exe in the installation directory
    Affected if Version is present and is below 21.2 (e.g., 21.1.x, 21.0.x, older versions)
  3. Check if vulnerable path C:\usr\local\ssl exists
    Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\usr\local\ssl, or run: dir C:\usr\local\ssl
    Affected if Directory C:\usr\local\ssl exists on the system
  4. Inspect openssl.cnf file in the vulnerable path
    Run: type C:\usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf or open the file to examine its contents and configuration
    Affected if File exists and contains configuration pointing to custom OpenSSL engine DLLs, especially if the file was not placed by administrators
  5. Check write permissions on C:\usr\local\ssl for unprivileged users
    Right-click the folder in Explorer, go to Security tab, or run: icacls C:\usr\local\ssl to view ACLs
    Affected if Non-admin or low-privilege users have Write or Modify permissions to C:\usr\local\ssl, allowing them to place malicious files

User is affected if Veritas System Recovery version is below 21.2 AND the C:\usr\local\ssl directory exists with write access available to low-privilege users, enabling DLL preloading attack.

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 21.2 or later
Fixed in 21.2
Interim mitigation

Create the expected C:\usr\local\ssl\ directory with a legitimate openssl.cnf file and restrict permissions to prevent unprivileged modification. Alternatively, patch to version 21.2 or later.

Fix this in System Recovery Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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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-2020-36160 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
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