dbcve.org
NetbackupApplication · Veritas

CVE-2022-36956

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
In Veritas NetBackup, the NetBackup Client allows arbitrary command execution from any remote host that has access to a valid host-id NetBackup certificate/private key from the same domain. The affects 9.0.x through 9.0.0.1 and 9.1.x through 9.1.0.1.

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

Veritas NetBackup Client versions 9.0.x through 9.0.0.1 and 9.1.x through 9.1.0.1 contain a vulnerability allowing arbitrary command execution from any remote host possessing a valid host-id NetBackup certificate/private key from the same domain. An attacker with network access and a compromised certificate can execute commands with the privileges of the NetBackup Client service.

MitigationApply vendor patches for NetBackup 9.0.x and 9.1.x per the official security advisory. Until patched, enforce strict certificate/key lifecycle management, restrict network access to NetBackup infrastructure, and monitor for unauthorized certificate usage.

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
NetbackupApplication
Affected:= 9.0= 9.1.0.0

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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify NetBackup Client version
    Run command: 'nbc.exe -version' or check Windows Services for NetBackup services and look at file version of installation binaries in Program Files/Veritas/NetBackup/bin, or query registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Veritas\NetBackup\CurrentVersion
    Affected if Installed version is 9.0.x through 9.0.0.1 or 9.1.x through 9.1.0.1 (specifically 9.0, 9.0.0.0, 9.0.0.1 and 9.1.0.0, 9.1.0.1)
  2. Verify NetBackup services are running
    Check if nbars, nbemm, or nbptm services are running via 'sc query' or Services.msc; these services accept remote connections when active
    Affected if NetBackup Client services are running and listening for remote connections on ports such as 13782 or 1556
  3. Confirm certificate-based authentication is in use
    Check for presence of host-id certificates in the NetBackup certificate storage directory (typically /usr/openv/netbackup/var/hostID/ or C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\var\hostID\) and verify certificate validity dates have not expired
    Affected if Valid, non-expired NetBackup host-id certificates exist on the system (an attacker with compromised certificate from same domain could exploit this)
  4. Assess network exposure of NetBackup ports
    Run 'netstat -an | findstr "13782 13722 1556"' to see which NetBackup ports are listening on external interfaces rather than only localhost
    Affected if NetBackup ports are bound to non-localhost addresses (0.0.0.0 or external IP) allowing remote network access

System is affected if running a vulnerable NetBackup Client version (9.0.x-9.0.0.1 or 9.1.x-9.1.0.1) with active services and network-exposed ports, especially if valid certificates from the same domain are present and could be compromised.

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

Apply vendor patches for NetBackup 9.0.x and 9.1.x per the official security advisory. Until patched, enforce strict certificate/key lifecycle management, restrict network access to NetBackup infrastructure, and monitor for unauthorized certificate usage.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to NetBackup version 9.1.0.2 or later (or the latest available stable release)

  1. 1. Identify all NetBackup clients and servers running affected versions (9.0.x through 9.0.0.1 and 9.1.x through 9.1.0.1) in the environment
  2. 2. Review Veritas Support website (www.veritas.com) for the specific patch or fixed release for CVE-2022-36956
  3. 3. Prioritize upgrading NetBackup clients first, as they are the vulnerable component
  4. 4. Before upgrading in production, test the upgrade in a non-production environment
  5. 5. Schedule maintenance window for the upgrade
  6. 6. Backup current NetBackup configuration
  7. 7. Upgrade NetBackup clients to the fixed version
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade was successful and client connectivity is restored
Caveat Test backup jobs and restore procedures after upgrade to ensure compatibility

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

Fix this in Netbackup Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2022-36956 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