# CVE-2020-35488: Denial of service in n/a

> Remote attackers can crash the NXLog daemon via crafted Syslog payloads when specific directory naming configurations are enabled.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Jan 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-9rx5-vw74-rpgf

## What is CVE-2020-35488?

CVE-2020-35488 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 5 Jan 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The fileop module of the NXLog service in NXLog Community Edition 2.10.2150 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via a crafted Syslog payload to the Syslog service. This attack requires a specific configuration. Also, the name of the directory created must use a Syslog field. (For example, on Linux it is not possible to create a .. directory. On Windows, it is not possible to create a CON directory.)

Weakness: CWE-502 (Deserialization of Untrusted Data)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-35488?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nxlog Nxlog.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-35488?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-35488 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-35488 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-35488 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- https://github.com/GuillaumePetit84/CVE-2020-35488 (github_poc): https://github.com/GuillaumePetit84/CVE-2020-35488
- Nxlog Community Edition 2.10.2150 - DoS (Poc) (exploitdb)
- nxlog ubuntu CVE-2020-35488 (github_poc): https://github.com/githubfoam/nxlog-ubuntu-githubactions

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-35488 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-35488 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 5 Jan 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-35488 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-35488/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-35488/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-35488
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-35488
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-35488

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-35488/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.