Anyconnect Secure Mobility ClientApplication · Cisco
CVE-2011-2041
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 · uneditedThe Start Before Logon (SBL) functionality in Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client (formerly AnyConnect VPN Client) before 2.3.254 on Windows, and on Windows Mobile, allows local users to gain privileges via unspecified user-interface interaction, aka Bug ID CSCta40556.
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 · moderate confidenceThe Start Before Logon (SBL) feature in Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client before version 2.3.254 on Windows contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability. Local users can exploit unspecified user-interface interactions in the SBL functionality to gain elevated privileges on the affected system.
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
<= 2.3.2016= 2.0= 2.1= 2.2= 2.2.128= 2.2.133= 2.2.136= 2.2.140= 2.3= 2.3.185CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Find installed Cisco AnyConnect versionOpen Windows Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client\ or check the version in Programs and Features. Alternatively, right-click on vpnui.exe in C:\Program Files\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client\ and select Properties > Details to view the File Version.Affected if The displayed version matches any of the following: 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2.128, 2.2.133, 2.2.136, 2.2.140, 2.3, 2.3.185, or any version <= 2.3.2016
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Verify SBL feature is enabledCheck the Windows service list for the Cisco AnyConnect SBL service, or inspect the AnyConnect profile XML configuration file located in C:\Program Files\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client\ for SBL-related settings such as <StartBeforeLogon>true</StartBeforeLogon>.Affected if The SBL service exists and is set to start automatically, or the profile XML contains StartBeforeLogon enabled
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Confirm Windows platformVerify the operating system is Windows since this vulnerability only affects the Windows version of the client.Affected if The target system is running Windows with Cisco AnyConnect installed
A user is affected if they are running a Windows version of Cisco AnyConnect with the Start Before Logon feature enabled and the installed version matches 2.0 through 2.3.2016 or any of the specific affected versions listed.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client to version 2.3.254 or later. Since this is a local privilege escalation vulnerability requiring local access, limit physical and console access to affected systems as a compensating control until the upgrade can be deployed.
Fix this in Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-2041 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2011-2041 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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