CVE-2020-35483
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 · uneditedAnyDesk before 6.1.0 on Windows, when run in portable mode on a system where the attacker has write access to the application directory, allows this attacker to compromise a local user account via a read-only setting for a Trojan horse gcapi.dll file.
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 confidenceAnyDesk before version 6.1.0 running in portable mode on Windows is vulnerable to DLL hijacking. An attacker with write access to the application directory can place a malicious gcapi.dll file that the application will load, enabling compromise of the local user account.
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>= 5.4.2, < 6.1.0CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Confirm Windows platformVerify the operating system is Windows, as this vulnerability only affects AnyDesk on Windows.Affected if Running on a non-Windows platform means not affected by this specific vulnerability.
-
Identify AnyDesk versionLocate the AnyDesk executable (anydesk.exe) and check its version property, or access AnyDesk's About/Info dialog to view the installed version number.Affected if Version is 5.4.2 or higher but lower than 6.1.0, placing it within the affected range.
-
Determine if portable mode is activeCheck whether AnyDesk is running in portable mode. This is typically indicated by the presence of a portable configuration file (such as anydesk.conf) in the same directory as the executable, or by the absence of standard installation registry entries or Program Files installation.Affected if AnyDesk is running in portable mode, which is required for this vulnerability to be exploitable.
-
Inspect application directory for gcapi.dllLocate the directory containing the anydesk.exe file and check if a file named gcapi.dll exists in that location.Affected if A gcapi.dll file exists in the AnyDesk application directory and could potentially be replaced by an attacker with write access.
You are affected if running AnyDesk version 5.4.2 or higher but below 6.1.0, on Windows, in portable mode, with the application directory potentially writable by untrusted users.
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 data6.1.0
Update AnyDesk to version 6.1.0 or later. If portable mode must be used, ensure the application directory is protected from write access by untrusted users.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-35483 — 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-2020-35483 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