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WorkspaceApplication · Citrix

CVE-2020-8207

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Improper access control in Citrix Workspace app for Windows 1912 CU1 and 2006.1 causes privilege escalation and code execution when the automatic updater service is running.

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

This vulnerability in Citrix Workspace app for Windows (versions 1912 CU1 and 2006.1) involves improper access control in the automatic updater service that allows an authenticated local attacker to escalate privileges and achieve arbitrary code execution. The automatic updater service runs with elevated privileges, and the access control flaw enables a low-privilege user to manipulate the update process.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patch or update Citrix Workspace app to a version beyond 1912 CU1 and 2006.1. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider disabling the automatic updater service and managing updates through an alternative deployment mechanism.

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
WorkspaceApplication
Affected:= 1912= 2002

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checks

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

  1. Verify Citrix Workspace is installed
    Check for Citrix Workspace installation by reviewing the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\CitrixWorkspace or by listing the directory C:\Program Files\Citrix\Citrix Workspace
    Affected if Citrix Workspace is not found on the system, the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Identify the installed version
    Read the version from the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Citrix\ Citrix Workspace\Install\Version or right-click the executable C:\Program Files\Citrix\Citrix Workspace\CitrixWorkspace.exe and view Properties > Details
    Affected if The version matches 1912 CU1 or 2006.1, or falls within the range between these versions, indicating potential vulnerability
  3. Locate the automatic updater service
    Open Services (services.msc) and look for a service named Citrix Workspace or Citrix Receiver Auto-Update service, or query via command: sc queryex type= service state= all | findstr /i "citrix"
    Affected if The automatic updater service exists and is present on the system
  4. Check if the updater service is running
    Run command: sc query <service_name> or check the Status column in Services console for the Citrix updater service
    Affected if The service is running or set to start automatically, making the vulnerable code path active
  5. Verify service executable permissions
    Run icacls on the updater executable (typically in C:\Program Files\Citrix\Citrix Workspace\Update\ or similar location) and inspect the ACL for weak permissions that allow low-privilege users to modify the binary
    Affected if Users with low privileges can modify the updater service executable, indicating the access control flaw is present

If Citrix Workspace is installed with version 1912 CU1 or 2006.1 (or versions in between) and the automatic updater service exists and runs with elevated privileges, the environment is likely affected by this privilege escalation 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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patch or update Citrix Workspace app to a version beyond 1912 CU1 and 2006.1. If immediate patching is not feasible, consider disabling the automatic updater service and managing updates through an alternative deployment mechanism.

Fix this in Workspace Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2020-8207 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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