CVE-2022-28291: Insufficiently Protected Credentials: An authenticated user with debug privileges can retrieve stored Nessus policy credentials from the “ne
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 26/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.77% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 55.3% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.
Low priority for now. Update when a fix is released; follow the vendor's advisory.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
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.
- Published
- Oct 17, 2022
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.7% · 55th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-522
Report tools
Action score
26
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 26 / 40 · 6.5 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.7%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- No fixed version yet
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens
Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| tenable | nessus | cpe:2.3:a:tenable:nessus |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- tenable nessusall versions
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (CSW). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
n/a Nessus Professional
- Version 10.1.1affected
Same product
tenable: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2023-2005Tenable Plugin Feed ID #202306261202 Fixes Privilege Escalation Vulnerability35Monitor
- CVE-2022-4313A vulnerability was reported where through modifying the scan variables, an authenticated user in Tenable products, that has Scan Policy Con35Monitor
- CVE-2023-0524As part of our Security Development Lifecycle, a potential privilege escalation issue was identified internally.35Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2022-32973Jun 21, 2022 · An authenticated attacker could create an audit file that bypasses PowerShell cmdlet checks and executes commands with administrator privile35Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2022-32974Jun 21, 2022 · An authenticated attacker could read arbitrary files from the underlying operating system of the scanner using a custom crafted compliance a26Monitor
- Later →CVE-2022-33757Oct 25, 2022 · An authenticated attacker could read Nessus Debug Log file attachments from the web UI without having the correct privileges to do so.26Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-522 · Insufficiently Protected CredentialsCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Session SidejackingCAPEC-102likelihood: High · High
- Signature Spoofing by Key TheftCAPEC-474likelihood: Medium · High
- Password Recovery ExploitationCAPEC-50likelihood: Medium · High
- KerberoastingCAPEC-509High
- Modify Existing ServiceCAPEC-551
- Remote Services with Stolen CredentialsCAPEC-555Very High
- Use of Known Domain CredentialsCAPEC-560likelihood: High · High
- Windows Admin Shares with Stolen CredentialsCAPEC-561
ATT&CK techniques
- Remote ServicesT1021
- Remote Services:SMB/Windows Admin SharesT1021.002
- Valid AccountsT1078
- Brute Force:Credential StuffingT1110.004
- Email Collection:Remote Email CollectionT1114.002
- External Remote ServicesT1133
- Create or Modify System ProcessT1543
- Use Alternate Authentication Material:Pass The HashT1550.002
- Use Alternate Authentication Material:Pass The TicketT1550.003
- Unsecured Credentials: Private KeysT1552.004
- Steal or Forge Kerberos TicketsT1558
- Steal or Forge Kerberos Tickets:KerberoastingT1558.003
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.