dbcve.org
Anyconnect Secure Mobility ClientApplication · Cisco

CVE-2013-1172

MEDIUM · 6.6 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-04-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Cisco Security Service in Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client (aka AnyConnect VPN Client) does not properly verify files, which allows local users to gain privileges via unspecified vectors, aka Bug ID CSCud14153.

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

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client. The Cisco Security Service component does not properly verify files before loading them, allowing a local user to potentially gain elevated privileges on the system. The attack requires local access to the machine.

MitigationApply the vendor patch when available. Until then, restrict physical and local access to systems running AnyConnect, follow least-privilege principles, and monitor for unauthorized local account creation or suspicious process activity.

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:all versions= 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
Local
Complexity
M
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:M/Au:S/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. Confirm Cisco AnyConnect installation
    Check for the presence of Cisco AnyConnect on the system. Look for the application in Program Files (Windows) or /Applications (Mac) or search for the 'vpn' or 'anyconnect' process running on the system.
    Affected if Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client is installed on the system
  2. Identify installed AnyConnect version
    Locate the AnyConnect version information. On Windows, check the file properties of the AnyConnect executable (typically in C:\Program Files\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client\). On Mac, check /Applications/Cisco/Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.app or the vpnagent process version.
    Affected if The installed version matches or falls within these affected versions: all versions; 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
  3. Verify Cisco Security Service is running
    Check if the Cisco Security Service (sometimes named 'Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Service' or 'vpnagent') is active. On Windows, check Services console or run 'sc query' for the service. On Mac or Linux, check for the vpnagent process.
    Affected if The Cisco Security Service is running and loaded on the system, as this is the vulnerable component that does not properly verify files before loading them
  4. Inspect for suspicious file modifications
    Review the AnyConnect installation directory for unexpected or newly created DLL or executable files that could be maliciously loaded by the Cisco Security Service. Check file creation dates and verify signatures on binaries.
    Affected if Unauthorized or unsigned files exist in the AnyConnect program directories that the Security Service may load without proper verification

If Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client is installed with an affected version and the Cisco Security Service is running, the system is vulnerable to local privilege escalation via improper file verification by the service.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor patch when available. Until then, restrict physical and local access to systems running AnyConnect, follow least-privilege principles, and monitor for unauthorized local account creation or suspicious process activity.

Fix this in Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,648.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-1172 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2013-1172 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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