CVE-2020-7942
No exploitation reported by the sources we read.
- Published2020-02-19
- Fixed in6.13.0 · 5.5.19
- WeaknessCWE-295
Am I affected?
Debian, Ubuntu or Red Hat sometimes backport a fix without changing the upstream version number: such a version reads « to verify », never « affected ».With a domain, we read the version its public headers and pages expose. A distribution build can carry the fix under an older number.
Description
Previously, Puppet operated on a model that a node with a valid certificate was entitled to all information in the system and that a compromised certificate allowed access to everything in the infrastructure. When a node's catalog falls back to the `default` node, the catalog can be retrieved for a different node by modifying facts for the Puppet run. This issue can be mitigated by setting `strict_hostname_checking = true` in `puppet.conf` on your Puppet master. Puppet 6.13.0 and 5.5.19 changes the default behavior for strict_hostname_checking from false to true. It is recommended that Puppet Open Source and Puppet Enterprise users that are not upgrading still set strict_hostname_checking to true to ensure secure behavior. Affected software versions: Puppet 6.x prior to 6.13.0 Puppet Agent 6.x prior to 6.13.0 Puppet 5.5.x prior to 5.5.19 Puppet Agent 5.5.x prior to 5.5.19 Resolved in: Puppet 6.13.0 Puppet Agent 6.13.0 Puppet 5.5.19 Puppet Agent 5.5.19
Timeline
dates in UTC- 2020-02-1921:15CVE publishedNVD
Observed activity
isMalicious corpus · updated 2026-10-23 21:37 UTCBlock these indicators
- Firewall list (EDL, text): https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2020-7942?format=txt
- CSV export: https://api.ismalicious.com/edl/cve/CVE-2020-7942?format=csv
- TAXII collection of exploited CVEs
- The EDL and CSV take an API key on the Pro plan.
Versions per branch
NVD · OSV| Branch | Affected | Fixed in | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.x | ≥ 6.0.0, < 6.13.0 | 6.13.0 | NVD · OSV |
| 5.5 | ≥ 5.5.0, < 5.5.19 | 5.5.19 | NVD |
| 5.5 | < 5.5.19 | 5.5.19 | OSV |
| Branch | Affected | Fixed in | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.x | ≥ 6.0.0, < 6.13.0 | 6.13.0 | NVD |
| 5.5 | ≥ 5.5.0, < 5.5.19 | 5.5.19 | NVD |
as publishedRanges as NVD and OSV publish them; a distribution’s build can be fixed under an older number.
Fix
- Update Puppet to 6.13.0 · 5.5.19
Advisories and patches
- puppet.comVendor Advisory
Detection
- Nuclei template
- none so far ProjectDiscovery
- Exploit-DB
- no entry Exploit-DB
- Proof-of-concept repositories
- none listed PoC-in-GitHub
Sources
- NVDCVSS 3.16.5read 2026-10-23
- NVDCVSS 2.04read 2026-10-23
- NVDweakness (CWE)CWE-295read 2026-10-23
- FIRST EPSSEPSS score0.8 %2026-10-23
- OSVaffected packages—
Technical details
- CVSS v3 Vector
- CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
- Published
- 2020-02-19
- Last Modified
- 2026-06-17
- NVD status
- Modified
Frequently asked questions
What is CVE-2020-7942?
Is CVE-2020-7942 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2020-7942?
Running puppet? Hear about its next vulnerability
Surveillance reads the versions in your stack — a domain, a lockfile or a list — checks each CVE against the ranges its sources publish, and alerts you when one you run is exploited or enters CISA KEV. A version it cannot read stays « version not verified ».
No credit card required · No monthly cap on website lookups · 250 API requests/month
Go further
- Following what attackers exploit right now? The CISA KEV additions of the month, with their patch deadlines.
- Running this software? Vulnerability monitoring alerts you to new vulnerabilities in your products.
Related vulnerabilities
Same product first, then the same vendor advisory and the same publication week.