MEDIUM CVSS 6.5
Published: 2022-10-17

CVE-2022-28291

tenable nessus Security Advisory (CVE-2022-28291)
โ†— Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2022-28291 impacting tenable nessus. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Insufficiently Protected Credentials: An authenticated user with debug privileges can retrieve stored Nessus policy credentials from the โ€œnessusdโ€ process in cleartext via process dumping. The affected products are all versions of Nessus Essentials and Professional. The vulnerability allows an attacker to access credentials stored in Nessus scanners, potentially compromising its customersโ€™ network of assets.

๐Ÿ“Š 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
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

๐ŸŽฏ Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product tenable / nessus
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-2022-28291 impacting tenable nessus.

โšก Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2022-28291.yaml
id: cve-2022-28291

info:
  name: tenable nessus - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2022-28291 affecting tenable nessus.
    Evaluation: Insufficiently Protected Credentials: An authenticated user with debug privileges can retrieve stored Nessus policy credentials from the โ€œnessusdโ€ pro...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2022-28291
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
    cvss-score: 6.5
    cve-id: CVE-2022-28291
    cwe-id: CWE-522
  tags: cve,cve-2022-28291,tenable,nessus,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "nessus"
        part: body
๐Ÿ PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2022-28291.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2022-28291
# Target: tenable nessus | CVSS: 6.5 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2022-28291 (tenable nessus)...")
    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 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)
๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2022-28291.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2022-28291
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install nessus 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade nessus 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update nessus

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

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

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ 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.
โš ๏ธ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

โ“ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2022-28291 in tenable nessus?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update tenable nessus 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-2022-28291?

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-2022-28291?

CVE-2022-28291 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 6.5 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
6.5
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2022-28291
Weakness CWE-522
Vendor tenable
Product nessus
Published 2022-10-17
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N