CVE-2020-3950: VMware Multiple Products Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Reference page built from the source records below, each shown as its source publishes it. Dataset version ref-9cf13e5d5bc0, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z.

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Name: VMware Multiple Products Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Vendor: VMware
Product: Multiple Products
Added to the catalog: 2021-11-03
Due date for US federal agencies: 2022-05-03
Weaknesses: CWE-269
Catalog version: 2026.10.30

VMware Fusion, Remote Console (VMRC) for Mac, and Horizon Client for Mac contain a privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper use of setuid binaries that allows attackers to escalate privileges to root.

Required action (CISA)

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Ransomware use: CISA does not mark known use of this vulnerability in ransomware campaigns.

Links in CISA's notes

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3950

Read on 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z under licence cisa-kev-cc0@b0067899 from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json

NVD analysis

Status: Analyzed
Published: 2020-03-17T19:15:12.050
Last modified: 2026-06-17T03:19:18.933
Weaknesses: CWE-269

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.

Metric	Score	Severity	Vector	Scored by
CVSS 3.1	7.8	HIGH	CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H	[email protected] (Primary)
CVSS 3.1	7.8	HIGH	CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H	134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (Secondary)
CVSS 2.0	7.2	HIGH	AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C	[email protected] (Primary)

References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156843/VMware-Fusion-11.5.2-Privilege-Escalation.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157079/VMware-Fusion-USB-Arbitrator-Setuid-Privilege-Escalation.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0005.html (Vendor Advisory)
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156843/VMware-Fusion-11.5.2-Privilege-Escalation.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157079/VMware-Fusion-USB-Arbitrator-Setuid-Privilege-Escalation.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0005.html (Vendor Advisory)
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-3950 (US Government Resource)

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:41:43.468Z under licence nvd-api-terms-of-use@ff2a5288 from https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2020-3950

CVE record

Assigner: vmware
State: PUBLISHED
Published: 2020-03-17T18:41:52.000Z
Updated: 2025-10-21T23:35:48.178Z
Problem types: Privilege escalation vulnerability

References

https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0005.html
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156843/VMware-Fusion-11.5.2-Privilege-Escalation.html
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/157079/VMware-Fusion-USB-Arbitrator-Setuid-Privilege-Escalation.html

Read on 2026-11-03T01:04:35.538Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2020/3xxx/CVE-2020-3950.json

Defensive techniques (MITRE D3FEND)

D3FEND maps these defensive techniques to the weakness (CWE) that NVD lists for this CVE, through the digital artifacts the weakness affects. D3FEND does not say they stop this vulnerability.

CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management

D3FEND lists no defensive technique for this weakness.

D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.

Read on 2026-11-02T23:55:30.320Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-269.json

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Sources and licences

CISA
Source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30, CC0 1.0. Use of this data does not imply endorsement by CISA or DHS.
CC0 1.0 Universal
National Vulnerability Database (NIST)
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
NVD API Terms of Use (NIST publications in the public domain, 17 U.S.C. 105)
CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation
Copyright © 1999-2026, The MITRE Corporation. CVE is a trademark and the CVE logo is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE™). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.
CVE Program Terms of Use ("CVE Usage" licence)
MITRE D3FEND
MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/
MITRE D3FEND Terms of Use (site + knowledge graph); source repo MIT

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "CVE-2020-3950: VMware Multiple Products Privilege Escalation Vulnerability",
entity page, dataset version ref-9cf13e5d5bc0, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/cve/CVE-2020-3950 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30.
Underlying source: National Vulnerability Database (NIST), CVE API 2.0, record last modified 2026-06-17T03:19:18.933.
Underlying source: CVE List (CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation), record updated 2025-10-21T23:35:48.178Z.
Underlying source: MITRE D3FEND, ontology version 1.6.0.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.

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