What it is
CVE-2020-3433 is a vulnerability affecting Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client. A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows could allow an...
Vulnerability report
Exploited in the wild
Confirmed confidence
In CISA KEV
CVE-2020-3433
Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client For Windows DLL Hijacking Vulnerability
Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client
- Severity
- CVSS 7.8 · High
- Confidence
- Confirmed
- Exploit status
- Exploited in the wild
- EPSS
- 10.0%
- First observed
- —
- Last observed
- —
Decision summary
What security teams need to know first
Direct answers before the deeper technical record.
Is it exploited?
Yes. Previdian tracks this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability. Confidence is confirmed. Listed in CISA KEV. Also confirmed by third-party sources.
Who is affected?
Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.
What should we do?
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
Overview
Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client For Windows DLL Hijacking Vulnerability
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.
- Published
- 17 Aug 2020
- Exploitation Reported
- 24 Oct 2022
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
Tags
windows
cisa
metasploit
ransomware
malware
edge
CVE References
- CVE Record CVE.org · CVE Record https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-3433
- 20200805 Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows DLL Hijacking Vulnerability tools.cisco.com · Vendor Advisory https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory...
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/159420/Cisco-AnyConnect-Privilege-Esca... packetstormsecurity.com · CVE Record http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/159420/Cisco-AnyConnect-Privileg...
Exploitation evidence
Why Previdian marks this CVE as exploited
Third-party attestation and first-party sensor observation are shown separately so teams can judge the evidence chain.
Exploited in the wild
CISA
A trusted third party reported exploitation.
Used in malware
CISA
Malware families have been linked to exploitation of this CVE.
Proof of concept available
GitHub
Public scanner or PoC coverage increases practical exploitability.
Known exploited vulnerability sources
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the Previdian Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| CISA First | 2022-10-24 00:00 UTC |
| CVE | 2026-08-12 04:21 UTC |
Detection
Operational artifacts and observed signals
Make the evidence actionable in scanner, SOC, and edge-control workflows.
Observed signals
- Request targets
- User-Agents
- Callback hosts
- 0
- 0
- 0
Request targets and User-Agents available in Pro. Callback host details available in Enterprise.
Scanner coverage
Metasploit template detected 28 Apr 2025.
View Metasploit template (opens in new tab)Virtual patch status
No Previdian virtual patch is currently available. Future rules ship for ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF.
Learn about virtual patches →Scanner Artifacts
Scanner and exploit-framework references linked to this CVE.
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Metasploit | https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/local/anyconnect_lpe.rb | 28 Apr 2025 |
Risk and context
Severity, weaknesses, and research context
CVSS v3.1
7.8
High
Potential damage if exploited. Separate from whether attackers are using it.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS
10.0%
Estimated chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Previdian's warning comes from evidence, not this score.
Weaknesses
All CVSS Scores
CVSS v3.1
7.8
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS v2.0
7.2
High
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
Timeline
From disclosure to observed exploitation
-
04:21 UTC
KEV confirmed by CVE
Exploitation attested by an external source
-
15:02 UTC
Metasploit module available
Exploit module available
-
15:02 UTC
Public PoC available
Public proof-of-concept code published
-
00:00 UTC
Added to CISA KEV
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
-
00:00 UTC
First public exploitation report
Exploit observed in malware
-
18:01 UTC
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
00:00 UTC
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Pro API
Automate this intelligence
Confidence, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
- Evidence confidence and provenance
- First-party sensor telemetry
- PoC and scanner references
- Affected versions and enrichment
- Automation-ready JSON delivery
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2020-3433
Sample API response{
"cve_id": "CVE-2020-3433",
"confidence": "Confirmed",
"cvss_score": 7.8,
"cvss_estimated": false,
"epss_score": 0.10049,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "attempts": 0, "sensors": 0 }
}