CVE-2020-36168
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 Resiliency Platform 3.4 and 3.5. It leverages OpenSSL on Windows systems when using the Managed Host addon. On start-up, it loads the OpenSSL library. This library may attempt to load the 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, 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 Resiliency Platform 3.4/3.5 loads OpenSSL on Windows startup which attempts to load a non-existent openssl.cnf configuration file. A low-privileged attacker can create a malicious C:\usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf to load a crafted OpenSSL engine, achieving arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM.
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= 3.4= 3.5CVSS 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 Veritas Resiliency Platform is installedCheck for Veritas Resiliency Platform in Windows Programs and Features, or look for its installation directory (commonly in Program Files\Veritas)Affected if The software is installed and version is 3.4 or 3.5
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Confirm installed version matches affected rangeIn Programs and Features, verify the version is exactly 3.4 or exactly 3.5, or check the product version via the installed binariesAffected if Installed version is 3.4 or 3.5 (exact match)
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Check if the vulnerable OpenSSL config path is writableVerify if a low-privileged user can create the directory C:\usr\local\ssl\ and write a file there, or check if this path already exists with weak permissionsAffected if The C:\usr\local\ssl\ directory can be created or written to by a low-privileged user
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Verify the service runs with elevated privilegesCheck the Log On As account for the Veritas Resiliency Platform service in Windows Services (usually runs as SYSTEM or another privileged account)Affected if The service runs as SYSTEM or an account with administrative privileges
You are affected if Veritas Resiliency Platform version 3.4 or 3.5 is installed AND a low-privileged attacker can create or write files in C:\usr\local\ssl\ to inject a malicious OpenSSL engine configuration.
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 dataCreate a legitimate openssl.cnf configuration file in the expected location (C:\usr\local\ssl\) that disables engine loading, or restrict filesystem permissions to prevent unprivileged users from creating directories under C:\, or configure the service to run with reduced privileges.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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-2020-36168 — 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-2020-36168 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
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