SYSTEM escalation via insecure update-directory permissions
Published Jun 28, 2023 · Updated Aug 2, 2024
Local privilege escalation in Cisco Secure Client 5.0 and AnyConnect 4.10 and earlier allows local users to execute code as SYSTEM. The SYSTEM-level vpndownloader.exe process assigns weak permissions to a temporary update directory, allowing its Windows Installer rollback files to be replaced. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and a successful VPN connection that starts the client update process; the resulting rollback executes attacker-controlled code as SYSTEM.
Summary
What happened
Local privilege escalation in Cisco Secure Client 5.0 and AnyConnect 4.10 and earlier allows local users to execute code as SYSTEM. The SYSTEM-level vpndownloader.exe process assigns weak permissions to a temporary update directory, allowing its Windows Installer rollback files to be replaced. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and a successful VPN connection that starts the client update process; the resulting rollback executes attacker-controlled code as SYSTEM.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-20178
- Published
- Jun 28, 2023
- Updated
- Aug 2, 2024
- Vendor
- ClamAV
- Product
- Cisco Secure Client
- Classifications
- CWE-276, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 28, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 2, 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.
- Affected versionversion=4.10.00093
- Affected versionversion=4.10.01075
- Affected versionversion=4.10.02086
- Affected versionversion=4.10.03104
- Affected versionversion=4.10.04065
- Affected versionversion=4.10.04071
- Affected versionversion=4.10.05085
- Affected versionversion=4.10.05095
- Affected versionversion=4.10.05111
- Affected versionversion=4.10.06079
- Affected versionversion=4.10.06090
- Affected versionversion=4.9.00086
- Affected versionversion=4.9.01095
- Affected versionversion=4.9.02028
- Affected versionversion=4.9.03047
- Affected versionversion=4.9.03049
- Affected versionversion=4.9.04043
- Affected versionversion=4.9.04053
- Affected versionversion=4.9.05042
- Affected versionversion=4.9.06037
- Affected versionversion=5.0.00238
- Affected versionversion=5.0.00529
- Affected versionversion=5.0.00556
- Affected versionversion=5.0.01242
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- CVE-2023-20178 proof-of-concept exploitfunctional · demonstrated
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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