How severe is CVE-2020-3153?

CVE-2020-3153 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which products are affected by CVE-2020-3153?

Affected package information for CVE-2020-3153 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I patch CVE-2020-3153?

Apply the cisco anyconnect secure mobility client security patch or hotfix for CVE-2020-3153 on the affected version, following the vendor advisory for your exact build.

How do I detect CVE-2020-3153 across my infrastructure?

Inventory every cisco anyconnect secure mobility client deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above. Because the exploit targets the running system rather than your application code, also watch for exploitation at the network and runtime layer — O3 flags the exploit behaviour from runtime telemetry and egress traffic even before a vulnerable build is confirmed.

How do I mitigate CVE-2020-3153 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Cut exposure now: restrict the management/admin interface to trusted networks, segment the device, and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations and any WAF/IPS signature. O3's runtime protection blocks the exploit chain at execution, holding the line on unpatched or end-of-life systems until you can patch.

How does O3 Security protect against CVE-2020-3153?

O3 detects and blocks CVE-2020-3153 exploitation at runtime: eBPF exploit-chain detection, plus L7 egress monitoring that catches the post-exploitation callback and severs the attacker's outbound channel.

Is CVE-2020-3153 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 10 known exploit references for CVE-2020-3153, including 8 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2020-3153?

CVE-2020-3153 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 28.3%, placing it in the 98th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

Is CVE-2020-3153 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2020-3153 (Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows Uncontrolled Search Path Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-10-24. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-11-14. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. This CVE has been used in known ransomware campaigns. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2020-3153?

CVE-2020-3153 is classified as CWE-427 (CWE-427). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2020-3153?

CVE-2020-3153 affects cisco anyconnect secure mobility client. Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

When was CVE-2020-3153 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-3153 was published on February 19, 2020 and was last updated on June 17, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CISA KEV·Added 2022-10-24 — agencies required to remediate by 2022-11-14 · Ransomware

CVE-2020-3153

MEDIUM

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…

Published

Feb 19, 2020

Updated

Jun 17, 2026

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

10 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

28.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk98th percentile0.00%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

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.

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

anyconnect secure mobility clientcisco

< 4.8.02042

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.