#VU57847 Privilege escalation in Tenable Nessus - CVE-2021-20135

Vulnerability identifier: #VU57847

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-20135

CWE-ID: CWE-264

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Tenable Nessus
Client/Desktop applications / Software for system administration

Vendor: Tenable Network Security

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to Nessus does not properly impose security restrictions. A local administrator can run specific executables on the Nessus Agent host.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Tenable Nessus: 8.0.0 - 8.15.2

---

External links
https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2021-18

---

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.