CVE-2019-3962 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

A security vulnerability, known as Content Injection, has been identified in versions of Tenable Nessus prior to 8.5.0. This vulnerability could potentially be exploited by an attacker who is authenticated and has local access. The attacker would need to convince another user of Nessus to visit a harmful URL and then utilize Nessus to send deceptive messages. If successful, the authenticated attacker could inject any desired text into the feed status, which will be saved even after the session expires.

Understanding CVE-2019-3962

A Content Injection vulnerability affecting Tenable Nessus versions prior to 8.5.0.

What is CVE-2019-3962?

CVE-2019-3962 is a security vulnerability in Tenable Nessus that allows an authenticated attacker with local access to inject arbitrary text into the feed status by convincing another user to visit a malicious URL.

The Impact of CVE-2019-3962

An authenticated attacker could manipulate the feed status with deceptive messages.
Successful exploitation could lead to the injection of unauthorized text that persists beyond the session.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-3962

A Content Injection vulnerability in Tenable Nessus prior to version 8.5.0.

Vulnerability Description

Vulnerability Type: Content Injection
Attack Vector: Authenticated attacker with local access

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Nessus
Vendor: Tenable
Vulnerable Versions: All versions prior to 8.5.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Attacker convinces a Nessus user to visit a malicious URL
Utilizes Nessus to send fraudulent messages
Injects arbitrary text into the feed status

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to address and prevent CVE-2019-3962.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Nessus to version 8.5.0 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
Educate users to avoid clicking on suspicious URLs.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement user awareness training on social engineering attacks.
Regularly monitor and audit Nessus user activities.

Patching and Updates

Regularly apply security patches and updates for Nessus to address known vulnerabilities.