Cloud FoundationApplication · VMware
CVE-2020-3962
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 · uneditedVMware ESXi (7.0 before ESXi_7.0.0-1.20.16321839, 6.7 before ESXi670-202004101-SG and 6.5 before ESXi650-202005401-SG), Workstation (15.x before 15.5.5), and Fusion (11.x before 11.5.5) contain a use-after-free vulnerability in the SVGA device. A malicious actor with local access to a virtual machine with 3D graphics enabled may be able to exploit this vulnerability to execute code on the hypervisor from a virtual machine.
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 confidenceUse-after-free vulnerability in the SVGA virtual graphics device affecting VMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion. A local attacker with access to a VM that has 3D graphics enabled can exploit this memory corruption flaw to escape the VM and execute arbitrary code on the hypervisor.
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
Cloud FoundationApplication
>= 3.0, < 3.10>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.1
FusionApplication
>= 11.0.0, < 11.5.5
WorkstationApplication
>= 15.0.0, < 15.5.5
EsxiOperating system
= 6.5= 6.7= 7.0.0CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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.
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Identify the installed VMware product and versionFor ESXi, run `vmware -v` or check the vSphere Client hostname; for Workstation, go to Help > About VMware Workstation; for Fusion, go to VMware Fusion menu > About VMware FusionAffected if The product is ESXi 6.5, 6.7, or 7.0.0; Workstation 15.0.0 to 15.5.4; or Fusion 11.0.0 to 11.5.4, or Cloud Foundation 3.0 to 3.9.x or 4.0.0
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Verify that 3D graphics acceleration is enabled on any virtual machineOpen the VM settings in the vSphere Client (ESXi) or VM settings in Workstation/Fusion, then check the VM configuration for the '3D graphics' or '3D acceleration' setting under the Display or Video card optionsAffected if 3D graphics acceleration is enabled on any VM running on the affected host
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Confirm the VM has the SVGA virtual graphics device presentReview the VM hardware configuration and confirm the 'SVGA' or 'VMware SVGA 3D' virtual graphics adapter is assigned to the VMAffected if The SVGA virtual graphics device is configured for the VM
Your environment is affected if you run an unpatched ESXi 6.5/6.7/7.0.0, Workstation 15.x below 15.5.5, Fusion 11.x below 11.5.5, or Cloud Foundation in the affected ranges, AND you have any VM with 3D graphics acceleration enabled.
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 data3.104.0.111.5.5
Apply vendor patches: update ESXi to versions ESXi_7.0.0-1.20.16321839+, ESXi670-202004101-SG+, ESXi650-202005401-SG+; update Workstation to 15.5.5+; update Fusion to 11.5.5+. Alternatively, disable 3D graphics acceleration on VMs if not required.
Fix this in Cloud Foundation
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3962 — 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-2020-3962 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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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
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