HIGH
CVE-2020-15861
CWE-59Published: August 20, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
7.8
CVSS v3.1
Official Description
Net-SNMP through 5.7.3 allows Escalation of Privileges because of UNIX symbolic link (symlink) following.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2020-15861 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.8.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.
Official Patches & Advisories
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/4471-1/
ADVISORYhttps://usn.ubuntu.com/4471-1/
All References (12)
→
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=966599Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/net-snmp/net-snmp/commit/4fd9a450444a434a993bc72f7c3486ccce41f602Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/net-snmp/net-snmp/issues/145Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202008-12Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200904-0001/Third Party Advisory
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4471-1/Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=966599Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/net-snmp/net-snmp/commit/4fd9a450444a434a993bc72f7c3486ccce41f602Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/net-snmp/net-snmp/issues/145Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202008-12Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200904-0001/Third Party Advisory
→
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4471-1/Third Party Advisory
Quick Facts
CVE IDCVE-2020-15861
CVSS Score7.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-59
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedAug 20, 2020
Related CVEs (CWE-59)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2020-15861 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.