CVE-2020-3950
VMware Multiple Products Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
- High 7.8
- Exploited: added to CISA KEV 3 Nov 2021
Description
VMware Fusion (11.x before 11.5.2), VMware Remote Console for Mac (11.x and prior before 11.0.1) and Horizon Client for Mac (5.x and prior before 5.4.0) contain a privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper use of setuid binaries. Successful exploitation of this issue may allow attackers with normal user privileges to escalate their privileges to root on the system where Fusion, VMRC or Horizon Client is installed.
Key facts
- Published
- 17 Mar 2020
- Last changed
- 21 Oct 2025
- Assigned by
- vmware
- KEV added
- 3 Nov 2021
- KEV fix due
- 3 May 2022
- EPSS
- 7.254% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 94.437% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)
- SSVC (CISA)
- Exploitation: active; Automatable: no; Technical impact: total
Severity scores
Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.
- 7.8CVSS 3.1, Highfrom CISA (ADP container)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
What to do
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.CISA KEV required action
Historical context and remediation
This reference retains the original CVE publication date. A recent record update does not mean a new attack occurred.
No separately sourced impact summary is available on this page yet. Consult the description, version data and dated exploitation evidence.
Version statuses below come from the CNA. An “unaffected” version is not necessarily a currently supported release or proof of a patch date. EPSS is a dated risk estimate, not a count of historical attacks.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | VMware Fusion, VMware Remote Console for Mac and Horizon Client for Mac |
|
Timeline
- 17 Mar 2020 Published
- 3 Nov 2021 CVE-2020-3950 added to CISA KEV
- 3 Nov 2021 Added to the CISA KEV catalogue