Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2020-36242

critical Nessus Plugin ID 230242

Synopsis

The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed with a vulnerability that the vendor indicates will not be patched.

Description

The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed that are impacted by a vulnerability without a vendor supplied patch available.

- In the cryptography package before 3.3.2 for Python, certain sequences of update calls to symmetrically encrypt multi-GB values could result in an integer overflow and buffer overflow, as demonstrated by the Fernet class. (CVE-2020-36242)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.

Solution

There is no known solution at this time.

See Also

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2020-36242

Plugin Details

Severity: Critical

ID: 230242

File Name: unpatched_CVE_2020_36242.nasl

Version: 1.3

Type: local

Agent: unix

Family: Misc.

Published: 3/5/2025

Updated: 9/10/2025

Supported Sensors: Frictionless Assessment AWS, Frictionless Assessment Azure, Frictionless Assessment Agent, Nessus Agent, Agentless Assessment, Nessus

Risk Information

VPR

Risk Factor: Medium

Score: 6.0

CVSS v2

Risk Factor: Medium

Base Score: 6.4

Temporal Score: 5

Vector: CVSS2#AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:P

CVSS Score Source: CVE-2020-36242

CVSS v3

Risk Factor: Critical

Base Score: 9.1

Temporal Score: 8.2

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

Temporal Vector: CVSS:3.0/E:P/RL:O/RC:C

Vulnerability Information

CPE: p-cpe:/a:centos:centos:python3-cryptography, cpe:/o:centos:centos:8, p-cpe:/a:centos:centos:python-cryptography, cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:python-cryptography, p-cpe:/a:redhat:enterprise_linux:python3-cryptography

Required KB Items: Host/local_checks_enabled, Host/cpu, global_settings/vendor_unpatched, Host/OS/identifier

Exploit Available: true

Exploit Ease: Exploits are available

Vulnerability Publication Date: 2/7/2021

Reference Information

CVE: CVE-2020-36242