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Vulnerabilities

MediumKEVRansomware

CVE-2020-3153 — Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows Uncontrolled Search Path Vulnerability

CVE-2020-3153 · Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client · CVSS 6.5 ·…

In brief

Severity · CVSS
Medium6.5CVSS 3.1, Medium
EPSS
28%
CISA KEV
Known exploited, listed since 24 Oct 2022
CERT-FR
No advisory or alert referenced in the catalog
Vendor
Cisco
Published · Modified
·
Last verified

Summary

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.

Weakness: CWE-427

Title, description and the vendor's statements are quoted from the CVE record; a vendor's advisory is summarised in Patcharo's words, with a link.

Affected and fixed versions

Per product and release branch, as the vendor's CVE record and official advisory state them. A fixed release is shown only when a document names it: the vendor's, or CERT-FR's for Check Point, with its source.

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client

Source: CVE-2020-3153cisco-sa-ac-win-path-traverse-qO4HWBsj

  1. —
    Affected versionsunspecified < n/a
    First fixed releaseNot published in the sources followed

The vendor states fixes are available; the releases per branch are in its advisory.

Remediation

Fix available

Vendor fix

Cisco has released updates that fix this vulnerability; its advisory lists them.

SourceCisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-ac-win-path-traverse-qO4HWBsj· revised 25 Oct 2022

Workarounds (vendor)

Cisco states in its advisory that no workaround is available.

SourceCisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-ac-win-path-traverse-qO4HWBsj

CISA KEV required action

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

CISA due date:

SourceCISA KEV

Last verified 1 Oct 2026 at 09:30 UTC

Known exploitation

Added to CISA KEV on 24 Oct 2022

Federal remediation due date: 14 Nov 2022

Known use in ransomware campaigns

The CISA required action is shown under Remediation.

28% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (percentile 98%).

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N

CERT-FR

No CERT-FR advisory or alert of the last two years references this CVE, for the vendors Patcharo covers.

Timeline

  1. Published by the source
  2. Added to CISA KEV
  3. CISA remediation due date
  4. Source record last modified
  5. EPSS score computed
  6. Last verified by Patcharo

Official sources

Vendor advisory

References

Cisco · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities · NVD · FIRST EPSS · Cisco Security Advisory cisco-sa-ac-win-path-traverse-qO4HWBsj

How Patcharo reads this

Affected and fixed releases come from the vendor's structured statements and are matched against exact versions; CVSS from NVD, exploitation from CISA KEV and the vendor's own advisory, probability from FIRST EPSS. Missing data stays Unknown and never becomes Not affected.

Read the methodologyRead the guide: Cisco Secure Firewall release trains: Threat Defense, Management Center and ASA versions explained