Privilege escalation in Apple macOS
CVE-2020-3950
VMware Fusion (11.x before 11.5.2), 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) contain a privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper use of setuid binaries. Successful exploitation of this issue may allow attackers with normal user privileges to escalate their privileges to root on the system where Fusion, VMRC or Horizon Client is installed.
Vulnerability class: Privilege Escalation
EPSS: 0.073 (93.9th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Affected products
- Apple Macos
- Vmware Fusion
- Vmware Horizon_client
- Vmware Remote_console
- N/a Vmware Fusion, Remote Console For Mac And Horizon Client — versions VMware Fusion (11.x before 11.5.2), 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)
Weakness classification (CWE)
CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)
This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on . CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.
BOD 22-01 due date: .
Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Public proof-of-concept exploits
References
- security@vmware.com (x_refsource_MISC, Vendor Advisory)
- security@vmware.com (Exploit, VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_MISC)
- security@vmware.com (Exploit, VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_MISC)
- 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (US Government Resource)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2020-3950?
- CVE-2020-3950 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apple macOS, classified under Improper Privilege Management. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2020-03-17.
- How severe is CVE-2020-3950?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
- Is CVE-2020-3950 known to be exploited?
- Yes. CVE-2020-3950 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), indicating it is being actively exploited. 9 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.