CVE-2020-36162
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 Veritas CloudPoint before 8.3.0.1+hotfix. The CloudPoint Windows Agent leverages OpenSSL. This OpenSSL library attempts to load the \usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf configuration file, which does not exist. By default, on Windows systems users can create directories under <drive>:\. A low privileged user can create a <drive>:\usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf configuration file to load a malicious OpenSSL engine, which may result in arbitrary code execution. This would give the attacker administrator access on the system, allowing the attacker (by default) to access all data, access all installed applications, etc.
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 confidenceVeritas CloudPoint Windows Agent uses OpenSSL which attempts to load a configuration file from a non-standard Unix-style path (\usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf). On Windows, unprivileged users can create this path and inject a malicious OpenSSL engine configuration, achieving arbitrary code execution with administrator privileges.
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= 1.0= 1.0.2= 2.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2= 2.1= 2.1.1= 2.1.2= 2.2= 2.2.1= 2.2.2= 8.3= 8.3.0.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify CloudPoint installationCheck if Veritas CloudPoint or Veritas NetBackup CloudPoint is installed on the Windows system. Look in Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'Veritas CloudPoint' or 'Veritas NetBackup', or check the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Veritas\CloudPoint or similar).Affected if Veritas CloudPoint or NetBackup CloudPoint is installed and the version matches 1.0, 1.0.2, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 8.3, or 8.3.0.1
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Determine CloudPoint versionLocate the installed version from the registry or from the installation directory's version info. Check the file properties of the CloudPoint agent executable or review version.txt in the installation folder.Affected if The installed version is one of the affected versions listed above (any version prior to 8.3.0.1 hotfix)
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Check for vulnerable OpenSSL config pathInspect whether the directory path \usr\local\ssl\ exists on the same drive where CloudPoint is installed. On Windows, this can be created by any unprivileged user. Run: 'dir C:\usr\local\ssl' or check each drive letter where CloudPoint may run.Affected if The path \usr\local\ssl\ exists and contains an openssl.cnf file, especially if it was not placed there by administrators
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Verify path permissionsCheck if non-privileged users have write access to the \usr\local\ssl\ directory. Use icacls C:\usr\local\ssl or examine the ACLs on that directory.Affected if Non-administrator users can create files or directories in the \usr\local\ssl\ path, allowing them to inject a malicious OpenSSL engine configuration
The environment is affected if Veritas CloudPoint or NetBackup CloudPoint version 1.0 through 2.2.2 or 8.3/8.3.0.1 is installed and the \usr\local\ssl\ directory exists and is writable by non-admin users on the system.
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 dataUpgrade to Veritas CloudPoint 8.3.0.1+hotfix or later to obtain patched OpenSSL that uses proper Windows configuration paths; alternatively, restrict filesystem permissions to prevent non-admin users from creating directories at the drive root.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-36162 — 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-2020-36162 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