Anyconnect Secure Mobility ClientApplication · Cisco
CVE-2020-27123
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows could allow an authenticated, local attacker to read arbitrary files on the underlying operating system of an affected device. The vulnerability is due to an exposed IPC function. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted IPC message to the AnyConnect process on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to read arbitrary files on the underlying operating system of the affected device.
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 confidenceCisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows contains an exposed IPC function that allows an authenticated local attacker to send crafted IPC messages and read arbitrary files on the underlying operating system. The attacker requires valid credentials for local access but does not need elevated privileges to exploit this vulnerability.
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
< 4.9.03047CVSS 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
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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.
-
Identify if Cisco AnyConnect is installedOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check for AnyConnect in the Windows installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Cisco\Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client)Affected if AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client is present on the system
-
Check installed AnyConnect versionRun 'vpnclient.exe version' from the AnyConnect program directory, or right-click the AnyConnect icon in system tray and select About, or check the version in Programs and FeaturesAffected if The displayed version number is less than 4.9.03047 (for example, 4.8.x, 4.7.x, etc.)
-
Verify Windows user account controlsConfirm that local user accounts exist on the system, as the vulnerability requires valid local credentials to exploitAffected if Local user accounts are present and the system runs a vulnerable version of AnyConnect
-
Confirm AnyConnect IPC service is runningCheck if the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client service (named 'Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Service' or similar) is running via Services.msc or command 'sc query acservice'Affected if The AnyConnect service is running on a version below 4.9.03047
The environment is affected if Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client is installed and the installed version is lower than 4.9.03047, since the exposed IPC function could then allow authenticated local users to read arbitrary files.
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 data4.9.03047
Apply the vendor-supplied patch from Cisco. Until patched, limit local access to trusted personnel and monitor for suspicious IPC activity targeting the AnyConnect process.
Fix this in Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,240.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-27123 — 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-2020-27123 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
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.
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.
- 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