Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
An authenticated SSH user who can reach the Privileged Access Manager server may be able to run operating system commands through sshrelay and gain full system access. The business risk is high because PAM systems protect privileged credentials and administrative workflows.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority PAM hardening and upgrade issue. Compromise of a privileged access platform can magnify attacker reach, but urgency depends on whether affected versions and authenticated SSH access exist in your environment.
Technical view
CVE-2020-11847 is a CWE-78 OS command injection issue in sshrelay affecting OpenText/NetIQ Privileged Access Manager before 3.7.0.1. CVSS 3.1 is 8.2 with local access, low complexity, low privileges, user interaction required, changed scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where OpenText/NetIQ Privileged Access Manager versions before 3.7.0.1 are deployed and authenticated SSH users can access the PAM server. The CVSS vector indicates local access and low privileges, not unauthenticated remote exploitation.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not confirm active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle. Evidence supports a serious authenticated command-execution risk, but public exploit status is not established by the supplied sources.
Researcher notes
The source bundle gives limited technical detail beyond sshrelay command execution via bash. The CVSS vector includes PR:L and UI:R, so validation should focus on version state, authenticated access paths, and sshrelay exposure without assuming unauthenticated remote reachability.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected Privileged Access Manager deployments to 3.7.0.1 or later vendor-supported versions.
- Review the NetIQ/OpenText 3.7.0.1 release notes and vendor guidance.
- Restrict SSH and PAM server access to trusted administrators and management networks.
- Remove unnecessary PAM access for authenticated SSH users.
- Monitor PAM server process and command-execution logs for suspicious activity.
Validation and detection
- Inventory all Privileged Access Manager servers and record exact versions.
- Confirm no production PAM server is running a version before 3.7.0.1.
- Review which authenticated users can SSH to or through the PAM server.
- Check whether sshrelay is enabled and reachable in the environment.
- Inspect PAM server logs for unusual shell or command execution activity.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-78: Command execution behavior lookup
Command injection weaknesses can lead defenders to review execution techniques and command interpreter telemetry. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-11847 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H1.56Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.2HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.