Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
OpenClinic GA 5.173.3 can be installed with unsafe default file permissions. A local user with limited privileges could replace an installed binary and gain higher privileges. This is mainly a risk on shared or poorly controlled hosts running the affected OpenClinic version.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation where OpenClinic runs on shared systems, clinical environments, or hosts with multiple local users. The business risk is privilege escalation from a foothold, not initial remote compromise based on the provided evidence.
Technical view
CVE-2020-27228 is a CWE-276 incorrect default permissions flaw in OpenClinic GA 5.173.3 installation functionality. The CVSS 3.0 score is 8.8 with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to systems running OpenClinic GA 5.173.3, especially where local users or service accounts can access the host and installation paths retain insecure default permissions.
Exploitation context
The provided sources describe local privilege escalation by replacing a file. They do not show internet-remotable exploitation, public exploit use, or CISA KEV listing. Treat active exploitation as unconfirmed.
Researcher notes
The source bundle identifies the affected version, weakness class, CVSS vector, and file-replacement impact. It does not provide patch status, exploit prevalence, broader version ranges, or detailed environmental prerequisites beyond local low-privilege access.
Mitigation direction
- Identify hosts running OpenClinic GA 5.173.3.
- Review OpenClinic or Talos guidance for fixed versions or vendor hardening advice.
- Correct writable permissions on OpenClinic installation binaries and directories.
- Restrict local shell or interactive access to OpenClinic hosts.
- Enable file integrity monitoring for OpenClinic installation paths.
Validation and detection
- Inventory OpenClinic versions across servers and workstations.
- Check whether OpenClinic GA 5.173.3 is present.
- Inspect permissions on OpenClinic binaries and installation directories.
- Confirm low-privilege users cannot modify or replace installed binaries.
- Review security logs for unexpected binary changes.
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-276: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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 lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-27228 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
- 8.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H26Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2020-1204CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.
Incorrect Default Permissions
Incorrect Default Permissions represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.