MEDIUM CVSS 6.7
Published: 2021-03-19

CVE-2021-20077

tenable nessus_agent Security Advisory (CVE-2021-20077)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2021-20077 impacting tenable nessus_agent. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 6.7 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Nessus Agent versions 7.2.0 through 8.2.2 were found to inadvertently capture the IAM role security token on the local host during initial linking of the Nessus Agent when installed on an Amazon EC2 instance. This could allow a privileged attacker to obtain the token.

📊 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
High (PR:H)
Administrative credentials 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 / nessus_agent
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration NVD-CWE-noinfo

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-2021-20077 impacting tenable nessus_agent.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2021-20077.yaml
id: cve-2021-20077

info:
  name: tenable nessus_agent - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2021-20077 affecting tenable nessus_agent.
    Evaluation: Nessus Agent versions 7.2.0 through 8.2.2 were found to inadvertently capture the IAM role security token on the local host during initial linking of ...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2021-20077
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
    cvss-score: 6.7
    cve-id: CVE-2021-20077
    cwe-id: NVD-CWE-noinfo
  tags: cve,cve-2021-20077,tenable,nessus_agent,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "nessus_agent"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2021-20077.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2021-20077
# Target: tenable nessus_agent | CVSS: 6.7 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2021-20077 (tenable nessus_agent)...")
    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 nessus_agent 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-2021-20077.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2021-20077
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install nessus_agent 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade nessus_agent 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update nessus_agent

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

# 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.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2021-20077 in tenable nessus_agent?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update tenable nessus_agent 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-2021-20077?

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-2021-20077?

CVE-2021-20077 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 6.7 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
6.7
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2021-20077
Weakness NVD-CWE-noinfo
Vendor tenable
Product nessus_agent
Published 2021-03-19
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H