CVE-2020-5812Network attack vector

Trusted-entity spoofing via improper certificate validation

Published Feb 5, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Improper certificate validation in Tenable Nessus AMI 8.12.0 and earlier allows attackers to spoof a trusted entity from a MITM position. The affected AMI either omits certificate validation or applies it incorrectly, so an intercepted connection accepts an attacker's endpoint as trusted. Exploitation requires control of the connection path and compromises the integrity of the trusted exchange; no direct data disclosure is reported.

CVSS severity5.9
Medium
EPSS probability0.52%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper certificate validation in Tenable Nessus AMI 8.12.0 and earlier allows attackers to spoof a trusted entity from a MITM position. The affected AMI either omits certificate validation or applies it incorrectly, so an intercepted connection accepts an attacker's endpoint as trusted. Exploitation requires control of the connection path and compromises the integrity of the trusted exchange; no direct data disclosure is reported.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-5812
Published
Feb 5, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Tenable
Product
Nessus
Classifications
CWE-295, T1557
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 5, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=8.12.0 and earlier

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Tenable · Nessusversion=8.12.0 and earlier

Published CVSS scores

5.9NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
4.3NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-295Improper Certificate Validation
T1557Adversary-in-the-Middle

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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