CVE-2020-3153
Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client
Published 19 Feb 2020 · updated 12 Aug 2026 · Analyzed
Exploited in the wild
CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 24 Oct 2022, with a remediation deadline of 14 Nov 2022 for US federal agencies. It has been used in ransomware campaigns.
Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Description
A vulnerability in the installer component of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows could allow an authenticated local attacker to copy user-supplied files to system level directories with system level privileges. The vulnerability is due to the incorrect handling of directory paths. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by creating a malicious file and copying the file to a system directory. An exploit could allow the attacker to copy malicious files to arbitrary locations with system level privileges. This could include DLL pre-loading, DLL hijacking, and other related attacks. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker needs valid credentials on the Windows system.
References
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/157340/Cisco-AnyConnect-Secure-Mobility-Client-4.8.01090-Privilege-Escalation.html · Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/158219/Cisco-AnyConnect-Path-Traversal-Privilege-Escalation.html · Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/159420/Cisco-AnyConnect-Privilege-Escalation.html · Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/Apr/43 · Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ac-win-path-traverse-qO4HWBsj · Vendor Advisory
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-3153 · US Government Resource