How severe is CVE-2020-5796?

CVE-2020-5796 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-5796 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (78th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-5796?

CVE-2020-5796 affects Nagios Nagios Xi. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-5796?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-5796 published?

CVE-2020-5796 was published on 2020-11-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-5796

CVE-2020-5796 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nagios Nagios Xi with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-281.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 7.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (78th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-281
Affected product: Nagios Nagios Xi
Published: 2020-11-13
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Improper preservation of permissions in Nagios XI 5.7.4 allows a local, low-privileged, authenticated user to weaken the permissions of files, resulting in low-privileged users being able to write to and execute arbitrary PHP code with root privileges.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-5796?: Improper preservation of permissions in Nagios XI 5.7.4 allows a local, low-privileged, authenticated user to weaken the permissions of files, resulting in low-privileged users being able to write to and execute arbitrary PHP code with root privileges.
How severe is CVE-2020-5796?: CVE-2020-5796 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-5796 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (78th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-5796?: CVE-2020-5796 affects Nagios Nagios Xi. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-5796?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-5796 published?: CVE-2020-5796 was published on 2020-11-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2020-61

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:nagios:nagios_xi:5.7.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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