dbcve.org
NsauditorApplication · Nsasoft

CVE-2020-37119

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-02-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Public exploit 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
Nsauditor 3.0.28 and 3.2.1.0 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in the DNS Lookup tool that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by overwriting memory. Attackers can craft a malicious DNS query payload to trigger a three-byte overwrite, bypass ASLR, and execute shellcode through a carefully constructed exploit.

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

Nsauditor versions 3.0.28 and 3.2.1.0 contain a buffer overflow in the DNS Lookup tool. A malicious DNS query payload can trigger a 3-byte memory overwrite that bypasses ASLR and enables shellcode execution, leading to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate Nsauditor to a patched version if available, or implement network segmentation and restrict access to the DNS Lookup tool until a fix is released. Consider using alternative DNS lookup utilities as a compensating control.

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
NsauditorApplication
Affected:= 3.0.28= 3.2.1.0

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if Nsauditor is installed
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'wmic product get name,version' in Command Prompt, and look for Nsauditor in the list of installed software
    Affected if Nsauditor appears in the installed programs list
  2. Retrieve the installed version
    Right-click the Nsauditor executable (typically in C:\Program Files\Nsauditor or C:\Program Files (x86)\Nsauditor), select Properties, and view the Details tab for the File Version; alternatively, run 'wmic product where "name like '%Nsauditor%'" get version'
    Affected if The version displayed is exactly 3.0.28 or 3.2.1.0
  3. Confirm the DNS Lookup tool is present
    Launch Nsauditor and navigate to the DNS Lookup tool (usually under Network Security or DNS tools section in the application menu)
    Affected if The DNS Lookup feature is accessible and can be opened within the application
  4. Verify the specific vulnerable build
    Within Nsauditor, go to Help > About and note the full build number; compare this against versions 3.0.28 and 3.2.1.0
    Affected if The About screen reports version 3.0.28 or 3.2.1.0 specifically

You are affected if Nsauditor is installed and the installed version matches exactly 3.0.28 or 3.2.1.0, with the DNS Lookup tool feature present and accessible.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Nsauditor to a patched version if available, or implement network segmentation and restrict access to the DNS Lookup tool until a fix is released. Consider using alternative DNS lookup utilities as a compensating control.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest available version of Nsauditor (verify version > 3.2.1.0 on vendor website)

  1. 1. Visit the official Nsauditor website (www.nsauditor.com) to check for the latest available version
  2. 2. Download and install the most recent version of Nsauditor that includes a fix for the DNS Lookup buffer overflow vulnerability
  3. 3. Verify that the newly installed version is newer than 3.2.1.0
  4. 4. Test the DNS Lookup functionality to ensure it operates correctly after the upgrade
  5. 5. If a newer fixed version is not available from the vendor, consider using alternative DNS lookup tools as a temporary workaround until a patched release is provided
Caveat Subscription or purchase may be required for the latest version; evaluate compatibility with existing workflows

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Nsauditor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2020-37119 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data