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Anyconnect Secure Mobility ClientApplication · Cisco

CVE-2020-3432

MEDIUM · 5.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.9.00086 or later.
See remediation →
56/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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
A vulnerability in the uninstaller component of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Mac OS could allow an authenticated, local attacker to corrupt the content of any file in the filesystem. The vulnerability is due to the incorrect handling of directory paths. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by creating a symbolic link (symlink) to a target file on a specific path. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to corrupt the contents of the file. If the file is a critical systems file, the exploit could lead to a denial of service condition. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have valid credentials on the system.Cisco has released software updates that address this vulnerability. There are no workarounds that address this vulnerability.

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 confidence

The vulnerability exists in the uninstaller component of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Mac OS. An attacker with valid system credentials can exploit this by creating a symbolic link (symlink) to a target file, causing the uninstaller to corrupt that file's contents during its operation. This allows arbitrary file corruption on the local system, potentially leading to denial of service if critical system files are targeted.

MitigationApply the Cisco software update that addresses this vulnerability. There are no available workarounds, so patching is the only remediation path.

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:< 4.9.00086

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
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H

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. Check if Cisco AnyConnect is installed on Mac OS
    Open Finder, navigate to /Applications folder, and look for 'Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client' or run: ls /Applications | grep -i anyconnect
    Affected if The application folder 'Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client' exists in /Applications
  2. Identify the installed version of Cisco AnyConnect
    Right-click the application in /Applications, select 'Get Info', and note the version number under 'Version:', or run: defaults read /Applications/Cisco\ AnyConnect\ Secure\ Mobility\ Client.app/Contents/Info CFBundleShortVersionString
    Affected if The displayed version number is lower than 4.9.00086 (for example: 4.8.0xxxx, 4.7.xxxx, etc.)
  3. Verify the uninstaller component exists
    Check for the uninstaller at /Applications/Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client/Uninstall AnyConnect.app or within the main application bundle under Contents/Resources
    Affected if The uninstaller application bundle is present on the system
  4. Confirm the system is Mac OS
    Click the Apple menu (top-left), select 'About This Mac', or run: uname -s in Terminal
    Affected if The operating system is macOS (the vulnerability specifically affects the Mac OS uninstaller component)

If Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client is installed on Mac OS with a version lower than 4.9.00086, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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 4.9.00086 or later
Fixed in 4.9.00086
Interim mitigation

Apply the Cisco software update that addresses this vulnerability. There are no available workarounds, so patching is the only remediation path.

Recommended fix High confidence

4.9.00086 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current version of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client installed on the system by checking the application or running 'vpn --version' in terminal
  2. 2. Navigate to the Cisco Software Download page (software.cisco.com) and locate the AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Mac OS
  3. 3. Download version 4.9.00086 or later for Mac OS
  4. 4. Uninstall the current version of AnyConnect from the system
  5. 5. Install the downloaded fixed version (4.9.00086 or later) following standard Cisco installation procedures
  6. 6. Verify the installation was successful by checking the installed version matches the fixed release
  7. 7. Restart the system if required by the installer
Caveat Upgrading AnyConnect may require re-authentication or profile reconfiguration; ensure backup of existing configurations before uninstallation

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

Fix this in Anyconnect Secure Mobility Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

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-2020-3432 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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