CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2020-36169 — An issue was discovered in Veritas NetBackup through 8.3.0.1 and OpsCenter through 8.3.0.1

Critical CVSS 9.3

An issue was discovered in Veritas NetBackup through 8.3.0.1 and OpsCenter through 8.3.0.1. Processes using OpenSSL attempt to load and execute libraries from paths that do not exist by default on the Windows operating system. By default, on Windows systems, users can create directories under the top level of any drive. If a low privileged user creates an affected path with a library that the Veritas product attempts to load, they can execute arbitrary code as SYSTEM or Administrator. This gives the attacker administrator access on the system, allowing the attacker (by default) to access all data, access all installed applications, etc. This vulnerability affects master servers, media servers, clients, and OpsCenter servers on the Windows platform. The system is vulnerable during an install or upgrade and post-install during normal operations.

Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.3 (3.1)
Published
2021-01-06
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
windows/system

Affected products

  • veritas / netbackup
  • veritas / opscenter

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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