CVE-2017-6972: AlienVault USM and OSSIM before 5.3.7 and NfSen before 1.3.8 have an error in privilege dropping and unnecessa

Q: How do I fix CVE-2017-6972?

ossim: upgrade to newer than 5.3.6; unified security management: upgrade to newer than 5.3.6; nfsen: upgrade to newer than 1.3.7. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2017-6972 being exploited?

CVE-2017-6972 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2017-6972 affect?

CVE-2017-6972 affects ossim, unified security management, nfsen. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). AlienVault USM and OSSIM before 5.3.7 and NfSen before 1.3.8 have an error in privilege dropping and unnecessarily execute the NfSen Perl code as root, aka AlienVault ID ENG-104945, a different vulnerability than CVE-2017-6970 and CVE-2017-

Q: How urgent is CVE-2017-6972?

Priority 68/100. Critical severity; EPSS top 3%: very likely to be exploited; Public exploit reference; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

This week

CRITICAL 9.8REMOTEUPGRADEUPGRADEUPGRADE

CVE-2017-6972 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.8) affecting ossim, unified security management, nfsen. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

AlienVault USM and OSSIM before 5.3.7 and NfSen before 1.3.8 have an error in privilege dropping and unnecessarily execute the NfSen Perl code as root, aka AlienVault ID ENG-104945, a different vulnerability than CVE-2017-6970 and CVE-2017-6971.

Why this priority

Critical severity
EPSS top 3%: very likely to be exploited
Public exploit reference
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.8 (Critical)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	14.6% (top 3%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-273
Published	2017-03-22
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: alienvault · nfsen

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2017-03-22 20:59 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 01:23 UTCUpdated Record last modified

alienvault ossim UPGRADE

Affected: <= 5.3.6

Fixed in: newer than 5.3.6

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy ossim || rpm -q ossim || ossim --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 5.3.6 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade ossim

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade ossim

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

alienvault unified security management UPGRADE

Affected: <= 5.3.6

Fixed in: newer than 5.3.6

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy unified-security-management || rpm -q unified-security-management || unified-security-management --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 5.3.6 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade unified-security-management

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade unified-security-management

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

nfsen nfsen UPGRADE

Affected: <= 1.3.7

Fixed in: newer than 1.3.7

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy nfsen || rpm -q nfsen || nfsen --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 1.3.7 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade nfsen

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade nfsen

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

Exploit-DB: NfSen < 1.3.7 / AlienVault OSSIM 4.3.1 - 'customfmt' Command Injection

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2017-6972?

ossim: upgrade to newer than 5.3.6; unified security management: upgrade to newer than 5.3.6; nfsen: upgrade to newer than 1.3.7. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2017-6972 being exploited?

CVE-2017-6972 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2017-6972 affect?

CVE-2017-6972 affects ossim, unified security management, nfsen. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). AlienVault USM and OSSIM before 5.3.7 and NfSen before 1.3.8 have an error in privilege dropping and unnecessarily execute the NfSen Perl code as root, aka AlienVault ID ENG-104945, a different vulnerability than CVE-2017-6970 and CVE-2017-

How urgent is CVE-2017-6972?

Priority 68/100. Critical severity; EPSS top 3%: very likely to be exploited; Public exploit reference; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Software pages

Perl vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

CVE-2017-6971 HIGH 8.8 UPGRADE UPGRADE AlienVault USM and OSSIM before 5.3.7 and NfSen before 1.3.8 allow remote authenticated users to execute arbit
CVE-2017-6970 HIGH 8.4 UPGRADE UPGRADE AlienVault USM and OSSIM before 5.3.7 and NfSen before 1.3.8 allow local users to execute arbitrary commands i
CVE-2016-7955 CRITICAL 9.8 UPGRADE UPGRADE The logcheck function in session.inc in AlienVault OSSIM before 5.3.1, when an action has been created, and US

References

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