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Anyconnect Secure Mobility ClientApplication · Cisco

CVE-2011-2040

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-06-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.5.2019 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The helper application in Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client (formerly AnyConnect VPN Client) before 2.5.3041, and 3.0.x before 3.0.629, on Linux and Mac OS X downloads a client executable file (vpndownloader.exe) without verifying its authenticity, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via the url property to a Java applet, aka Bug ID CSCsy05934.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The Cisco AnyConnect helper application for Linux and Mac OS X downloads a client executable (vpndownloader.exe) without verifying its authenticity or integrity, allowing remote attackers to inject arbitrary code via a malicious URL specified in a Java applet.

MitigationUpgrade Cisco AnyConnect to version 2.5.3041 (or 3.0.629 for 3.0.x branches) or later to implement proper authenticity verification of downloaded executables.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Anyconnect Secure Mobility ClientApplication
Affected:<= 2.5.2019= 2.0= 2.1= 2.2= 2.2.128= 2.2.133= 2.2.136= 2.2.140= 2.3= 2.3.185= 2.3.254= 2.3.2016

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Cisco AnyConnect is installed
    On Linux, check for /opt/cisco/anyconnect or look for the anyconnect binary. On Mac OS X, check /Applications/Cisco/AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.app or use the command 'ls /Applications | grep -i anyconnect'
    Affected if Cisco AnyConnect is not found on the system, the system is not affected.
  2. Determine the installed version
    On Linux, run '/opt/cisco/anyconnect/bin/anyconnect --version' or check the version file in /opt/cisco/anyconnect. On Mac OS X, right-click the AnyConnect app, select 'Get Info', or run 'defaults read /Applications/Cisco/AnyConnect\ Secure\ Mobility\ Client.app/Contents/Info CFBundleVersion'
    Affected if The version cannot be determined or is not one of the affected versions listed.
  3. Compare version against affected list
    Compare the installed version to these affected versions: <= 2.5.2019, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2.128, 2.2.133, 2.2.136, 2.2.140, 2.3, 2.3.185, 2.3.254, 2.3.2016
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these affected versions.
  4. Confirm operating system is Linux or Mac OS X
    Run 'uname -s' or check system information. This vulnerability specifically affects the Linux and Mac OS X helper applications.
    Affected if The system is running Windows - the specific vulnerability does not apply.
  5. Check if VPN downloader feature exists
    Look for the vpndownloader executable or library files in the Cisco AnyConnect installation directory, typically /opt/cisco/anyconnect/lib on Linux or within the app bundle on Mac OS X
    Affected if The downloader component is not present on the system.

A user is affected if Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client is installed on Linux or Mac OS X and the version matches any of these: <= 2.5.2019, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2.128, 2.2.133, 2.2.136, 2.2.140, 2.3, 2.3.185, 2.3.254, or 2.3.2016.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.5.2019
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Cisco AnyConnect to version 2.5.3041 (or 3.0.629 for 3.0.x branches) or later to implement proper authenticity verification of downloaded executables.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client 2.5.3041 (or later 2.5.x) or 3.0.629 (or later 3.0.x) depending on the major version in use

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client version on the system
  2. 2. For systems running version 2.5.x: upgrade to version 2.5.3041 or later
  3. 3. For systems running version 3.0.x: upgrade to version 3.0.629 or later
  4. 4. For systems running version 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2: upgrade to version 2.5.3041 or later (these older versions are no longer supported)
  5. 5. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version
  6. 6. Ensure the upgrade is performed during a maintenance window as the VPN client will be restarted
Caveat Upgrading between major versions (e.g., 2.x to 3.x) may require configuration review and should be tested in a non-production environment first; also ensure compatibility with your Cisco ASA or ISE infrastructure

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-2040 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data