How severe is CVE-2020-6581?

CVE-2020-6581 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-6581 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (73rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-6581?

CVE-2020-6581 primarily affects Nagios Remote Plug In Executor. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-6581?

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-2020-6581 published?

CVE-2020-6581 was published on 2020-03-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-6581

CVE-2020-6581 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nagios Remote Plug In Executor with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.3)
CVSS v2: 3.7
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (73rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Nagios Remote Plug In Executor
Published: 2020-03-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Nagios NRPE 3.2.1 has Insufficient Filtering because, for example, nasty_metachars interprets \n as the character \ and the character n (not as the \n newline sequence). This can cause command injection.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-6581?: Nagios NRPE 3.2.1 has Insufficient Filtering because, for example, nasty_metachars interprets \n as the character \ and the character n (not as the \n newline sequence). This can cause command injection.
How severe is CVE-2020-6581?: CVE-2020-6581 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-6581 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (73rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-6581?: CVE-2020-6581 primarily affects Nagios Remote Plug In Executor. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-6581?: 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-2020-6581 published?: CVE-2020-6581 was published on 2020-03-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:a:nagios:remote_plug_in_executor:3.2.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Nagios Remote Plug In Executor

CVE-2020-6582 — High (CVSS 7.5): Nagios NRPE 3.2.1 has a Heap-Based Buffer Overflow, as demonstrated by interpretation of a small negative number as a…
CVE-2013-1362 — High (CVSS 7.5): Incomplete blacklist vulnerability in nrpc.c in Nagios Remote Plug-In Executor (NRPE) before 2.14 might allow remote…

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