CVE-2020-15075

System file corruption via installer symlink following

Published Mar 30, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Symlink following in OpenVPN Connect for macOS 3.2.6 and earlier allows local users to corrupt system files during installation. The installer creates a log file in /tmp without safely rejecting symbolic links, allowing a link to redirect privileged file access to a protected path. Exploitation requires a local user to preposition the link before the elevated installer runs, enabling file corruption rather than file reading.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.29%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Symlink following in OpenVPN Connect for macOS 3.2.6 and earlier allows local users to corrupt system files during installation. The installer creates a log file in /tmp without safely rejecting symbolic links, allowing a link to redirect privileged file access to a protected path. Exploitation requires a local user to preposition the link before the elevated installer runs, enabling file corruption rather than file reading.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-15075
Published
Mar 30, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
OpenVPN Inc.
Product
OpenVPN Connect
Classifications
CWE-61, CWE-59, T1485
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 30, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=3.2.6 and prior versions

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

OpenVPN Inc. · OpenVPN Connectversion=3.2.6 and prior versions

Published CVSS scores

3.6NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P
7.1NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-61UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following
CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
T1485Data Destruction

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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