CVE-2020-3950
NixOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

CVE-2020-3950 is a privilege escalation vulnerability discovered in VMware products, specifically affecting VMware Fusion (11.x before 11.5.3), VMware Remote Console for Mac (11.x and prior before 11.0.1), and Horizon Client for Mac (5.x and prior before 5.4.0). The vulnerability was disclosed on March 17, 2020, and stems from improper use of setuid binaries in these applications (VMware Advisory).

Technical details

The vulnerability is caused by improper use of setuid binaries in the affected VMware products. VMware has assigned this vulnerability an Important severity rating with a CVSSv3 base score of 7.3, indicating a significant security risk (VMware Advisory).

Impact

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows attackers with normal user privileges to escalate their privileges to root on systems where VMware Fusion, VMRC, or Horizon Client is installed (VMware Advisory).

Mitigation and workarounds

VMware has released patches to address this vulnerability. The fixed versions are VMware Fusion 11.5.3, VMware Remote Console for Mac 11.0.1, and Horizon Client for Mac 5.4.0. No workarounds are available, making patch installation the only remediation option (VMware Advisory).

Additional resources


SourceThis report was generated using AI

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