CVE-2020-3433
HIGHCISA KEVEPSS 95th pctlDescription
A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform a DLL hijacking attack. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have valid credentials on the Windows system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of resources that are loaded by the application at run time. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted IPC message to the AnyConnect process. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected machine with SYSTEM privileges. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have valid credentials on the Windows system.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 95% of all known CVEs.
Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows DLL Hijacking Vulnerability
Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows interprocess communication (IPC) channel allows for insufficient validation of resources that are loaded by the application at run time. An attacker with valid credentials on Windows could execute code on the affected machine with SYSTEM privileges.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Remediation due: 2022-11-14
Associated with ransomware campaigns
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-427 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-27955 | Critical | 9.8 | 83% | - | - |
| CVE-2017-6517 | Critical | 9.8 | 46% | - | - |
| CVE-2020-3153 | Medium | 6.5 | 27% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2024-48990 | High | 7.8 | 20% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-9491 | High | 7.8 | 13% | - | - |
| CVE-2022-2334 | High | 7.2 | 9.9% | - | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2020-3433?
Upgrade anyconnect secure mobility client to 4.9.00086 or later.
Is CVE-2020-3433 being actively exploited?
Yes. CVE-2020-3433 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation has been observed in the wild. CISA has also linked it to known ransomware campaigns. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 2022-11-14. Treat it as a priority whatever its CVSS score says.
How severe is CVE-2020-3433?
CVE-2020-3433 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2020-3433 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for anyconnect secure mobility client (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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TridentStack Control continuously scans your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet for known vulnerabilities, prioritizes them by severity and active exploitation, and patches them automatically.
This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-10-28.