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Full vulnerability report · 2020
CVE-2020-7921High confidence

Administrative action may disable enforcement of per-user IP whitelisting

MongoDB Inc. · MongoDB Server

4.6MediumCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch only the product branches with a verified fix

Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityMediumOperational priority:Medium, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • EPSS is 0.66% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs MongoDB Inc. MongoDB Server and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: As exposure requiresRemediation target: Within 365 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Cross-source reconciliation

Remediation availability differs by product scope

Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
9AKK108472A9037 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 1 · finalABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT)CVE-2020-7921
1 known affected

The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.

  • IIoT services with MongoDB 4.2 installed on ABB Ability Zenon /all
Summary
Improper serialization of internal state in the authorization subsystem in MongoDB Server's authorization subsystem permits a user with valid credentials to bypass IP whitelisting protection mechanisms following administrative action. This issue affects MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.3; MongoDB Server v4.0 versions prior to 4.0.15; MongoDB Server v4.3 versions prior to 4.3.3and MongoDB Server v3.6 versions prior to 3.6.18.
Remediation
ABB recommends the following mitigation measures: - Replace bundled MongoDB with a supported version if IIoT services are required: - Where IIoT functionality is required, the bundled MongoDB instance can be replaced with a supported and patched version through manual configuration. - The following zenon online help section explains the process of installing and using your own MongoDB database: zenHelpViewer - Uninstall IIoT Services wherever it’s not required: - If IIoT Services are not required, they can be removed using the Control panel uninstaller. This eliminates the dependency on MongoDB without affecting other zenon components. Refer to section “General security recommendations” for further advise on how to keep your system secure.
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2020-28852

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionPatch only the product branches with a verified fix

Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 1 structured product or package state remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
01

What, why and how

Improper serialization of internal state in the authorization subsystem in MongoDB Server's authorization subsystem permits a user with valid credentials to bypass IP whitelisting protection mechanisms following administrative action. This issue affects MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.3; MongoDB Server v4.0 versions prior to 4.0.15; MongoDB Server v4.3 versions prior to 4.3.3and MongoDB Server v3.6 versions prior to 3.6.18.

What

Improper serialization of internal state in the authorization subsystem in MongoDB Server's authorization subsystem permits a user with valid credentials to bypass IP whitelisting protection mechanisms following administrative action. This issue affects MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.3; MongoDB Server v4.0 versions prior to 4.0.15; MongoDB Server v4.3 versions prior to 4.3.3and MongoDB Server v3.6 versions prior to 3.6.18.

Why

The product filters data in a way that causes it to be reduced or collapsed into an unsafe value that violates an expected security property.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

What

Improper serialization of internal state in the authorization subsystem in MongoDB Server's authorization subsystem permits a user with valid credentials to bypass IP whitelisting protection mechanisms following administrative action. This issue affects MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.3; MongoDB Server v4.0 versions prior to 4.0.15; MongoDB Server v4.3 versions prior to 4.3.3and MongoDB Server v3.6 versions prior to 3.6.18.

Why

The product filters data in a way that causes it to be reduced or collapsed into an unsafe value that violates an expected security property.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Collapse of Data into Unsafe Value → cause the confidentiality, integrity or availability impact described by the vendor
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
Required interaction required
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-182 ↗

CWE-182: Collapse of Data into Unsafe Value. The product filters data in a way that causes it to be reduced or collapsed into an unsafe value that violates an expected security property.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UIRequiredUser interaction: Another user must perform an action for exploitation to succeed.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CLowConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a limited loss.ILowIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a limited loss.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
Stolen credentials, tokens and legitimate administration functions may provide continued access without deploying a large custom toolset.
NetworkCWE-182
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20200513Security Bulletin 13 May 2020

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 13 May 2020, published on 13 May 2020. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2020-005218MongoDB Server における不正な認証に関する脆弱性

MongoDB Server には、不正な認証に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix availability varies by product
Affected
IIoT services with MongoDB 4.2 installed on ABB Ability Zenon /all
Fixed
An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
Action
Use the product-specific evidence above. Patch only products with a verified fixed release, and keep every affected or under-investigation state without a matching fix in the remediation queue.
Workaround
ABB recommends the following mitigation measures: - Replace bundled MongoDB with a supported version if IIoT services are required: - Where IIoT functionality is required, the bundled MongoDB instance can be replaced with a supported and patched version through manual configuration. - The following zenon online help section explains the process of installing and using your own MongoDB database: zenHelpViewer - Uninstall IIoT Services wherever it’s not required: - If IIoT Services are not required, they can be removed using the Control panel uninstaller. This eliminates the dependency on MongoDB without affecting other zenon components. Refer to section “General security recommendations” for further advise on how to keep your system secure.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 6 May 2020 · Last source change 18 Nov 2024, 17:30 UTC · CWE-182 · Collapse of Data into Unsafe Value

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2020-28852
Product sourceVendor CSAF · ABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT)
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · ABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT)
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added remediation: search.abb.com/Download.aspx?DocumentID=9AKK108472A9037&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=pdf&Action=Launch; removed remediation: nvd.nist.gov/CVE-2020-7921.
    Before
    remediation: nvd.nist.gov/CVE-2020-7921
    After
    remediation: search.abb.com/Download.aspx?DocumentID=9AKK108472A9037&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=pdf&Action=Launch
    ABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2020-28852↗Vendor CSAF · ABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT)↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2020-7921 · cve.blacktree.nl