MEDIUM CVSS 5.5
Published: 2021-02-08

CVE-2020-14391

gnome control_center Security Advisory (CVE-2020-14391)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2020-14391 impacting gnome control_center. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
A flaw was found in the GNOME Control Center in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 versions prior to 8.2, where it improperly uses Red Hat Customer Portal credentials when a user registers a system through the GNOME Settings User Interface. This flaw allows a local attacker to discover the Red Hat Customer Portal password. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
High (C:H)
Total information disclosure
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product gnome / control_center
Affected Versions -
Weakness Enumeration CWE-522

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2020-14391 impacting gnome control_center.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2020-14391.yaml
id: cve-2020-14391

info:
  name: gnome control_center - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2020-14391 affecting gnome control_center.
    Evaluation: A flaw was found in the GNOME Control Center in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 versions prior to 8.2, where it improperly uses Red Hat Customer Portal cre...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2020-14391
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
    cvss-score: 5.5
    cve-id: CVE-2020-14391
    cwe-id: CWE-522
  tags: cve,cve-2020-14391,gnome,control_center,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "control_center"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2020-14391.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2020-14391
# Target: gnome control_center | CVSS: 5.5 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2020-14391 (gnome control_center)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against gnome control_center scope (-).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2020-14391.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2020-14391
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install control_center 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade control_center 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update control_center

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i control_center 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i control_center

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
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Technical Analysis
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2020-14391 in gnome control_center?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update gnome control_center packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2020-14391?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2020-14391?

CVE-2020-14391 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.5
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2020-14391
Weakness CWE-522
Vendor gnome
Product control_center
Published 2021-02-08
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N