HIGH CVSS 8.8
Published: 2021-03-03

CVE-2021-20076

tenable tenable.sc Security Advisory (CVE-2021-20076)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2021-20076 impacting tenable tenable.sc. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 8.8 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Tenable.sc and Tenable.sc Core versions 5.13.0 through 5.17.0 were found to contain a vulnerability that could allow an authenticated, unprivileged user to perform Remote Code Execution (RCE) on the Tenable.sc server via Hypertext Preprocessor unserialization.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
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
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product tenable / tenable.sc
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-502

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-2021-20076 impacting tenable tenable.sc.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2021-20076.yaml
id: cve-2021-20076

info:
  name: tenable tenable.sc - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2021-20076 affecting tenable tenable.sc.
    Evaluation: Tenable.sc and Tenable.sc Core versions 5.13.0 through 5.17.0 were found to contain a vulnerability that could allow an authenticated, unprivileged us...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2021-20076
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 8.8
    cve-id: CVE-2021-20076
    cwe-id: CWE-502
  tags: cve,cve-2021-20076,tenable,tenable.sc,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "tenable.sc"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2021-20076.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2021-20076
# Target: tenable tenable.sc | CVSS: 8.8 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2021-20076 (tenable tenable.sc)...")
    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 tenable tenable.sc 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-2021-20076.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2021-20076
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install tenable.sc 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade tenable.sc 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update tenable.sc

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

# 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
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2021-20076 in tenable tenable.sc?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update tenable tenable.sc 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-2021-20076?

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-2021-20076?

CVE-2021-20076 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 8.8 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
8.8
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2021-20076
Weakness CWE-502
Vendor tenable
Product tenable.sc
Published 2021-03-03
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H