CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2018-20752 — An issue was discovered in Recon-ng before 4.9.5

Critical CVSS 9.8

An issue was discovered in Recon-ng before 4.9.5. Lack of validation in the modules/reporting/csv.py file allows CSV injection. More specifically, when a Twitter user possesses an Excel macro for a username, it will not be properly sanitized when exported to a CSV file. This can result in remote code execution for the attacker.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.0)
Published
2019-02-04
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
software/application
Weaknesses
CWE-1236

Affected products

  • recon-ng_project / recon-ng

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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