Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
MongoDB Ops Manager had a privilege escalation issue where an authenticated Organization Owner could use specially crafted API calls to obtain an API key with Global Role privilege. That could expand control beyond one organization to the whole Ops Manager environment. Exposure depends on running the affected 4.2, 4.3, or 4.4 versions.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for any affected Ops Manager instance because compromise could expand from organization-level administration to global platform control. Treat as high priority, especially in shared or production database management environments.
Technical view
CVE-2020-7927 affects MongoDB Ops Manager 4.2 through 4.2.17, 4.3 through 4.3.9, and 4.4 through 4.4.2. The reported flaw allows privilege escalation from Organization Owner to Global Role API key through crafted API calls. The CVSS vector lists PR:N, but the description requires an authenticated Organization Owner.
Likely exposure
Most likely exposure is self-hosted MongoDB Ops Manager deployments on the listed affected versions, especially where Organization Owner accounts are broadly assigned or API key activity is not tightly audited.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. The issue still matters because exploitation starts from a high-trust account and could produce Global Role credentials.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and MongoDB release-note reference. The main ambiguity is the CVSS PR:N vector versus the text requiring an authenticated Organization Owner. Do not assume unauthenticated exploitability from the provided source bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory MongoDB Ops Manager versions across all environments.
- Upgrade affected 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4 deployments beyond the vulnerable versions.
- Check MongoDB release notes and vendor guidance for branch-specific fixed releases.
- Limit Organization Owner assignments to users who require that role.
- Review and rotate suspicious or unnecessary Global Role API keys.
Validation and detection
- Confirm no Ops Manager instance runs 4.2.17 or earlier, 4.3.9 or earlier, or 4.4.2 or earlier.
- Review API keys for unexpected Global Role privilege.
- Audit Organization Owner accounts for least-privilege alignment.
- Inspect Ops Manager logs for unusual API key creation or privilege changes.
- Verify remediation against MongoDB’s published release notes.
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-648: 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-2020-7927 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
- 8.1 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.25.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.1HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.mongodb.com/docs/ops-manager/current/release-notes/application/#onprem-server-4.4.3CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
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 Use of Privileged APIs
Incorrect Use of Privileged APIs represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.