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Cloud FoundationApplication · VMware

CVE-2020-3967

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-06-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.10 / 4.0.1 or later.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
VMware 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 heap-overflow vulnerability in the USB 2.0 controller (EHCI). A malicious actor with local access to a virtual machine may be able to exploit this vulnerability to execute code on the hypervisor from a virtual machine. Additional conditions beyond the attacker's control must be present for exploitation to be possible.

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

Heap-overflow vulnerability in the EHCI USB 2.0 controller of VMware ESXi, Workstation, and Fusion allows a locally-authenticated attacker inside a virtual machine to potentially execute code on the hypervisor, achieving VM-to-hypervisor escape.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied patches: update ESXi to 7.0.0-1.20.16321839/ESXi670-202004101-SG/ESXi650-202005401-SG or later, Workstation to 15.5.5+, and Fusion to 11.5.5+. Restrict VM access to trusted users as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
Affected:>= 3.0, < 3.10>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.1
FusionApplication
Affected:>= 11.0.0, < 11.5.5
WorkstationApplication
Affected:>= 15.0.0, < 15.5.5
EsxiOperating system
Affected:= 6.5= 6.7= 7.0.0

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
High
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the VMware product type
    Determine whether the system runs ESXi, Workstation, or Fusion. On ESXi, run 'vmware -v' or check the vSphere Client. On Workstation/Fusion, run the application and check About VMware Workstation/Fusion.
    Affected if Product is ESXi, Workstation, or Fusion
  2. Check the installed VMware version
    On ESXi, run 'vmware -v' or check the ESXi build number in the Direct Console UI. On Workstation/Fusion, check Help > About VMware Workstation/Fusion. Compare the version/build to the affected ranges: ESXi 6.5, 6.7, 7.0.0; Workstation 15.0.0 to <15.5.5; Fusion 11.0.0 to <11.5.5; Cloud Foundation 3.0 to <3.10 or 4.0.0 to <4.0.1
    Affected if Version falls within any of the affected version ranges listed
  3. Identify VMs with EHCI USB controllers
    For ESXi, use 'vmware -l' to list VMs, then inspect each VM's .vmx file or check VM settings for USB controller configuration. Look for 'ehci.present = TRUE' or USB controller set to EHCI (USB 2.0) in VM hardware settings. On Workstation/Fusion, open VM Settings > USB Controller and verify if EHCI is enabled.
    Affected if Any VM is configured with an EHCI USB 2.0 controller
  4. Verify USB passthrough is enabled
    Check VM configuration for USB passthrough settings. In ESXi, use 'vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms' then 'vim-cmd vmsvc/device.getdevices <vm_id>' to inspect device list. Look for USB controller entries indicating EHCI is present and accessible to the guest.
    Affected if EHCI controller is present and accessible to the guest OS

The environment is affected if running an affected VMware product version AND at least one VM has an EHCI USB 2.0 controller enabled, allowing a locally-authenticated attacker in that VM to potentially escape to the hypervisor.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.10 / 4.0.1 / 11.5.5 or later
Fixed in 3.104.0.111.5.5
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied patches: update ESXi to 7.0.0-1.20.16321839/ESXi670-202004101-SG/ESXi650-202005401-SG or later, Workstation to 15.5.5+, and Fusion to 11.5.5+. Restrict VM access to trusted users as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Cloud Foundation Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
23.0 hours of engineering $3,980
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,368.

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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-2020-3967 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