CVE-2020-7293
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 · uneditedPrivilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Web Gateway (MWG) prior to 9.2.1 allows authenticated user interface user with low permissions to change the system's root password via improper access controls in the user interface.
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 Web Gateway contains an improper access control vulnerability in its user interface that allows authenticated users with low-level permissions to change the system's root password. This privilege escalation occurs because the UI does not properly enforce authorization checks before allowing password modification, potentially giving an attacker full administrative control over the appliance.
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>= 7.8.0, < 7.8.2.23>= 8.2.0, < 8.2.11>= 9.0.0, < 9.2.3CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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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Identify the McAfee Web Gateway versionAccess the appliance CLI or admin UI and retrieve the installed software version number. Typically found in System > Status or via command line using 'webgateway --version' or similar version query command.Affected if The installed version falls within: 7.8.0 to 7.8.2.22, 8.2.0 to 8.2.10, or 9.0.0 to 9.2.2
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Confirm the version falls outside the fixed releaseCompare your identified version against the safe versions (7.8.2.23 or higher, 8.2.11 or higher, 9.2.3 or higher). If your version is below these thresholds, the vulnerability is present.Affected if Version is less than 7.8.2.23 (for 7.8.x branch), less than 8.2.11 (for 8.2.x branch), or less than 9.2.3 (for 9.x branch)
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Verify user role configurationIn the admin UI, examine the user role assignments under User Management or Access Control settings. Check if any users exist with non-administrator roles that should have limited permissions.Affected if Low-privileged accounts (non-root, non-admin roles) exist in the system and can access the password change interface
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Test authorization enforcement (if you have permission)Using a low-privilege authenticated user session, attempt to access the root password modification functionality in the UI. Observe whether the system allows the action without proper authorization rejection.Affected if The system permits a low-privilege user to access or execute the root password change function
You are affected if your installed McAfee Web Gateway version is less than 7.8.2.23, 8.2.11, or 9.2.3 respectively for your major version branch.
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.
dbcve · scoped7.8.2.238.2.119.2.3
Upgrade McAfee Web Gateway to version 9.2.1 or later to resolve the improper access control vulnerability.
7.8.2.23 for 7.8.x branch; 8.2.11 for 8.2.x branch; 9.2.3 for 9.x branch
- 1. Identify the currently installed McAfee Web Gateway version by checking the appliance management console or using the CLI command: 'mwg-version'
- 2. Based on the installed version, determine the appropriate upgrade path: for 7.8.x branch upgrade to 7.8.2.23, for 8.2.x branch upgrade to 8.2.11, for 9.0.x-9.2.x branch upgrade to 9.2.3
- 3. Download the corresponding upgrade package from the McAfee KnowledgeBase at kc.mcafee.com or the McAfee download portal
- 4. Back up the current Web Gateway configuration via the UI under 'Configuration' > 'Backup' or via CLI
- 5. Apply the upgrade through the appliance management interface or by uploading the update package via CLI using the appropriate installation command
- 6. After upgrade completion, verify the version change and confirm the fix by logging in as a low-privileged user and attempting to access the password change functionality - this should now be restricted
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-7293 — 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-2020-7293 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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