CVE-2024-3291
Privilege Escalation
CVE-2024-3291 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) in Tenable Nessus Agent, published May 17, 2024. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.18%, the 6th percentile. No source names a fixed version.
When installing Nessus Agent to a directory outside of the default location on a Windows host, Nessus Agent versions prior to 10.6.4 did not enforce secure permissions for sub-directories. This could allow for local privilege escalation if users had not secured the directories in the non-default installation location.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
Privilege Escalation
When installing Nessus Agent to a directory outside of the default location on a Windows host, Nessus Agent versions prior to 10.6.4 did not enforce secure permissions for sub-directories. This could allow for local privilege escalation if users had not secured the directories in the non-default installation location.
- Record
CVE-2024-3291- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-281
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2024-31881
When installing Nessus Agent to a directory outside of the default location on a Windows host, Nessus Agent versions prior to 10.6.4 did not enforce secure permissions for sub-directories. This could allow for local privilege escalation if users had not secured the directories in the non-default installation location.
- Record
EUVD-2024-31881- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-j2m8-8r6c-36x2
When installing Nessus Agent to a directory outside of the default location on a Windows host,...
When installing Nessus Agent to a directory outside of the default location on a Windows host, Nessus Agent versions prior to 10.6.4 did not enforce secure permissions for sub-directories. This could allow for local privilege escalation if users had not secured the directories in the non-default installation location.
- Record
GHSA-j2m8-8r6c-36x2- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-281
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
When installing Nessus Agent to a directory outside of the default location on a Windows host, Nessus Agent versions prior to 10.6.4 did not enforce secure permissions for sub-directories. This could allow for local privilege escalation if users had not secured the directories in the non-default installation location.
- Record
CVE-2024-3291- CVSS 3.1
- 7.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-281
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| When | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-03 | aliases, published | EUVD |
| 2026-11-02 | created | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |