CVE-2022-28291: Insufficiently Protected Credentials: An authenticated user with debug privileges can retrieve stored Nessus p

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MEDIUM 6.5MITIGATE

CVE-2022-28291 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.5) affecting nessus. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Insufficiently Protected Credentials: An authenticated user with debug privileges can retrieve stored Nessus policy credentials from the “nessusd” process in cleartext via process dumping. The affected products are all versions of Nessus Essentials and Professional. The vulnerability allows an attacker to access credentials stored in Nessus scanners, potentially compromising its customers’ network of assets.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	6.5 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.8% (top 44%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-522
Published	2022-10-17
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Cyber Security Works Pvt. Ltd. · Vendor: tenable

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2022-10-17 16:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 04:38 UTCUpdated Record last modified

tenable nessus MITIGATE

Affected: all versions

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

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

No fixed or unaffected release known

Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory, disable the affected feature, or restrict network access.

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-2022-28291?

nessus: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2022-28291 being exploited?

CVE-2022-28291 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-2022-28291 affect?

CVE-2022-28291 affects nessus. Severity is medium (CVSS 6.5). Insufficiently Protected Credentials: An authenticated user with debug privileges can retrieve stored Nessus policy credentials from the “nessusd” process in cleartext via process dumping. The affected products are all versions of Nessus Es

How urgent is CVE-2022-28291?

Priority 42/100. Public exploit reference

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References

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