Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
M/Monit 3.7.4 can expose user password hashes to an authenticated attacker through administrative API functionality. This is a confidentiality issue: stolen hashes may support password cracking or credential reuse attacks. Public exploit information exists, but the provided sources do not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority where M/Monit 3.7.4 is deployed. The issue can expose password hashes for multiple users, increasing credential compromise risk. Prioritize inventory, access restriction, and vendor-guided remediation.
Technical view
CVE-2020-36968 affects Tildeslash M/Monit 3.7.4. Authenticated users can retrieve MD5 password hashes for users via admin user API endpoints. The CVSS 4.0 score is 7.1, with network access, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high vulnerable-system confidentiality impact. Classified under CWE-522.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to organizations running M/Monit 3.7.4 where authenticated access to the M/Monit administrative API is possible, especially if the interface is reachable from broad internal networks or the internet.
Exploitation context
ExploitDB and VulnCheck list this issue publicly, so defenders should assume technical details are accessible. The source bundle does not identify CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports password-hash disclosure, not direct remote code execution. Exploitation requires authentication. Sources name MD5 hashes and affected version 3.7.4, but do not provide a fixed version in the bundle. Do not claim active exploitation without additional evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Identify any M/Monit 3.7.4 deployments.
- Check Tildeslash/M/Monit guidance for a fixed or supported release.
- Restrict M/Monit and API access to trusted administrative networks.
- Remove unused accounts and minimize authenticated user access.
- If exposure is suspected, reset M/Monit passwords and reused credentials.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed M/Monit version on all managed hosts.
- Verify whether M/Monit administrative API is reachable from untrusted networks.
- Review logs for access to admin user-listing or user-detail API functions.
- Confirm remediation prevents authenticated retrieval of password hashes.
- Document remaining systems awaiting vendor-supported remediation.
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-522: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. 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 lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-36968 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
- 7.1 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
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:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
7.1HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- ExploitDB-49081CVE reference · exploit
- M/Monit Official Vendor HomepageCVE reference · product
- VulnCheck Advisory: M/Monit 3.7.4 - Password DisclosureCVE reference · third-party-advisory
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.
Insufficiently Protected Credentials
Insufficiently Protected Credentials represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.