Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2020-37119 is a high-severity Stack-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-121) vulnerability in Nsasoft Nsauditor. Its CVSS base score is 8.4 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 46th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2020-37119 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the DNS Lookup tool of Nsauditor versions 3.0.28 and 3.2.1.0. The flaw enables attackers to execute arbitrary code by overwriting memory through a crafted malicious DNS query payload, which triggers a three-byte overwrite. It is associated with CWE-121 (stack-based buffer overflow) and CWE-787 (out-of-bounds write), earning a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8.
Remote attackers require no privileges, authentication, or user interaction to exploit this vulnerability over the network with low complexity. By constructing a precise payload, they can bypass ASLR and execute shellcode, achieving high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially leading to full system compromise.
References include a proof-of-concept exploit at https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/48350, the vendor site at https://www.nsauditor.com/, and a VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/nsauditor-buffer-overflow-sehaslr-bypass-bytes-overwrite detailing the SEH ASLR bypass and three-byte overwrite technique. No patch or mitigation details are specified in the available information.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2020-31047
Vulnerability Data
Nsauditor 3.0.28 and 3.2.1.0 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in the DNS Lookup tool that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by overwriting memory. Attackers can craft a malicious DNS query payload to trigger a three-byte overwrite, bypass ASLR, and…
more
execute shellcode through a carefully constructed exploit.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
—
—
- 2 hardening rules · 2 OS baselines
—
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and analysis can discover stack-buffer overflows before deployment.
Input validation directly stops untrusted data from exceeding stack buffer bounds.
Memory-protection mechanisms limit the ability to execute injected code after a stack overflow.
Requiring documented secure-development standards and tools can mandate bounds-checked coding practices that avoid the weakness.
Secure-engineering principles include bounds-checked coding and safe buffer handling that avoid introducing the flaw.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure-development practices directly prevent introduction of stack buffer overflows.
Vulnerability scanning can discover stack buffer overflows but does not prevent their introduction.
Patching eliminates known instances of the weakness after discovery.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing (fuzzing, static analysis) detects stack overflows before release.
Secure SDLC mandates buffer-safety practices that directly prevent stack overflows.
Application security requirements can specify buffer-size and input-validation rules.
Secure architecture principles include memory-safety and least-privilege stack usage.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe buffer handling that causes CWE-121.
Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
Oracle Linux 8 (1 rule)
- V-248594 OL 8 must implement address space layout randomization (ASLR) to protect its memory from unauthorized code execution. prevents CWE-121
Oracle Linux 9 (1 rule)
- V-271452 OL 9 must use a Linux Security Module configured to enforce limits on system services. prevents CWE-121