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Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2020-29479

🗓️ 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00Reported by TenableType 
nessus
 nessus
🔗 www.tenable.com👁 6 Views

Xen up to 4.14.x lets unprivileged guests modify root xenstore and delete the root node.

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Refs
Code
#%NASL_MIN_LEVEL 80900
##
# (C) Tenable, Inc.
##

include('compat.inc');

if (description)
{
  script_id(256284);
  script_version("1.1");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_modification_date", value:"2025/08/27");

  script_cve_id("CVE-2020-29479");

  script_name(english:"Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2020-29479");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"synopsis", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed with a vulnerability that the vendor indicates will not be
patched.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"description", value:
"The Linux/Unix host has one or more packages installed that are impacted by a vulnerability without a vendor supplied
patch available.

  - An issue was discovered in Xen through 4.14.x. In the Ocaml xenstored implementation, the internal
    representation of the tree has special cases for the root node, because this node has no parent.
    Unfortunately, permissions were not checked for certain operations on the root node. Unprivileged guests
    can get and modify permissions, list, and delete the root node. (Deleting the whole xenstore tree is a
    host-wide denial of service.) Achieving xenstore write access is also possible. All systems using
    oxenstored are vulnerable. Building and using oxenstored is the default in the upstream Xen distribution,
    if the Ocaml compiler is available. Systems using C xenstored are not vulnerable. (CVE-2020-29479)

Note that Nessus relies on the presence of the package as reported by the vendor.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"see_also", value:"https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2020-29479");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"solution", value:
"There is no known solution at this time.");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"agent", value:"unix");
  script_set_cvss_base_vector("CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C");
  script_set_cvss_temporal_vector("CVSS2#E:U/RL:OF/RC:C");
  script_set_cvss3_base_vector("CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H");
  script_set_cvss3_temporal_vector("CVSS:3.0/E:U/RL:O/RC:C");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cvss_score_source", value:"CVE-2020-29479");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploitability_ease", value:"No known exploits are available");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"exploit_available", value:"false");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vendor_unpatched", value:"true");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"vuln_publication_date", value:"2020/12/15");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_publication_date", value:"2025/08/27");

  script_set_attribute(attribute:"plugin_type", value:"local");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:-:lts");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"cpe", value:"p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:xen");
  script_set_attribute(attribute:"generated_plugin", value:"current");
  script_end_attributes();

  script_category(ACT_GATHER_INFO);
  script_family(english:"Misc.");

  script_copyright(english:"This script is Copyright (C) 2025 and is owned by Tenable, Inc. or an Affiliate thereof.");

  script_dependencies("ssh_get_info2.nasl", "set_linux_os_id.nasl");
  script_require_keys("Host/cpu", "Host/local_checks_enabled", "global_settings/vendor_unpatched", "Host/OS/identifier");
  script_require_ports("Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-16.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-18.04", "Host/OS/Ubuntu Linux-20.04");

  exit(0);
}

if (!get_kb_item("global_settings/vendor_unpatched")) exit(0, "Unpatched Vulnerabilities Detection not active.");
if (!get_kb_item("Host/local_checks_enabled")) audit(AUDIT_LOCAL_CHECKS_NOT_ENABLED);
if (empty_or_null(get_one_kb_item("Host/Debian/dpkg-l"))) audit(AUDIT_PACKAGE_LIST_MISSING);

include('linux_unpatched.inc');

var distro_constraints_array = {
  "Ubuntu Linux-16.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "16.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "libxen-4.6"},
          {"reference": "libxen-dev"},
          {"reference": "libxenstore3.0"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.4-amd64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.4-arm64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.4-armhf"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.5-amd64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.5-arm64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.5-armhf"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.6-amd64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.6-arm64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.6-armhf"},
          {"reference": "xen-system-amd64"},
          {"reference": "xen-system-arm64"},
          {"reference": "xen-system-armhf"},
          {"reference": "xen-utils-4.6"},
          {"reference": "xen-utils-common"},
          {"reference": "xenstore-utils"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-18.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "18.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "libxen-4.9"},
          {"reference": "libxen-dev"},
          {"reference": "libxenstore3.0"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.6-amd64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.6-arm64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.6-armhf"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.7-amd64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.7-arm64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.7-armhf"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.8-amd64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.8-arm64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.8-armhf"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.9-amd64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.9-arm64"},
          {"reference": "xen-hypervisor-4.9-armhf"},
          {"reference": "xen-system-amd64"},
          {"reference": "xen-system-arm64"},
          {"reference": "xen-system-armhf"},
          {"reference": "xen-utils-4.9"},
          {"reference": "xen-utils-common"},
          {"reference": "xenstore-utils"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "Ubuntu Linux-20.04": {
    "package_manager": "dpkg-l",
    "constraints": [
      {
        "release": "20.04",
        "pkgs": [
          {"reference": "xen"}
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
};

var distro_constraints_values = linux_unpatched::get_distro_constraints(distro_constraints_arr:distro_constraints_array);
if (empty_or_null(distro_constraints_values)) audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');
var report = linux_unpatched::check_unpatched_constraints(distro_constraints_values:distro_constraints_values);

if (!empty_or_null(report))
{
  security_report_v4(
      port       : 0,
      severity   : SECURITY_WARNING,
      extra      : report
  );
  exit(0);
}
else
{
  audit(AUDIT_HOST_NOT, 'affected');
}

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27 Aug 2025 00:00Current
7.6High risk
Vulners AI Score7.6
CVSS 27.2
CVSS 3.18.8
EPSS0.00046
6