CVE-2020-7284
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 · uneditedExposure of Sensitive Information in McAfee Network Security Management (NSM) prior to 10.1.7.7 allows local users to gain unauthorised access to the root account via execution of carefully crafted commands from the restricted command line interface (CLI).
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 confidenceMcAfee NSM prior to 10.1.7.7 contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability where restricted CLI users can execute crafted commands to gain unauthorized root account access. The restricted CLI fails to properly sanitize input, allowing attackers to escape the command restrictions and execute commands with root 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>= 9.0, < 9.2.9.55>= 10.0, < 10.1.7.7CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify installed McAfee NSM versionUse the NSM command line interface or management console to retrieve the current software version. Common methods include running 'nsm -version' or accessing the About section in the NSM GUI.Affected if The installed version falls within 9.0 to 9.2.9.55, or 10.0 to 10.1.7.7 (versions prior to 10.1.7.7 are vulnerable).
-
Verify restricted CLI user accounts existCheck the NSM user management configuration to determine if any restricted CLI user accounts are defined. Review user role assignments to identify accounts with limited command access.Affected if Restricted CLI user accounts are present in the system, as these are the user accounts that can be exploited to escalate privileges.
-
Inspect user account modifications for unauthorized root accessReview system logs and user management audit trails for any unexpected changes to root or administrator-level accounts. Look for additions of new privileged users or modifications to existing privileged account settings.Affected if Unauthorized root-level accounts appear in the system, or unexpected modifications to administrator privileges are found.
-
Review CLI command execution logs for escape attemptsExamine NSM CLI audit logs for any instances where command restrictions appear to have been bypassed. Look for commands that executed outside the expected restricted CLI command set.Affected if Logs show commands executed with root privileges by accounts that should only have restricted CLI access.
The environment is affected if the installed McAfee NSM version is prior to 10.1.7.7 and restricted CLI user accounts exist, as the vulnerability allows those restricted users to escape command boundaries and gain root access.
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 data9.2.9.5510.1.7.7
Upgrade McAfee Network Security Management to version 10.1.7.7 or later to patch the vulnerability. Verify that the restricted CLI properly enforces command boundaries after the upgrade.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,864.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-7284 — 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-2020-7284 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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