---
id: CVE-2020-3433
title: >-
  A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco
  AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows could allow an authenticated,
  local attacker to perform a DLL hijacking attack
summary: >-
  A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco
  AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows could allow an authenticated,
  local attacker to perform a DLL hijacking attack. To exploit this
  vulnerability, the att…
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-427
  - CWE-427
vendor: cisco
product: anyconnect_secure_mobility_client
affected:
  - anyconnect_secure_mobility_client < 4.9.00086
patched:
  - anyconnect_secure_mobility_client 4.9.00086
published: '2020-08-17'
updated: '2026-08-12'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3433'
references:
  - url: >-
      http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/159420/Cisco-AnyConnect-Privilege-Escalation.html
    label: psirt@cisco.com
  - url: >-
      https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-anyconnect-dll-F26WwJW
    label: psirt@cisco.com
  - url: >-
      http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/159420/Cisco-AnyConnect-Privilege-Escalation.html
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: >-
      https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-anyconnect-dll-F26WwJW
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: >-
      https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-3433
    label: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
tags:
  - nvd
  - kev
  - in-the-wild
  - exploit-available
epss: 0.10049
epssPercentile: 0.95469
kev: true
kevDateAdded: '2022-10-24'
kevDueDate: '2022-11-14'
kevRansomware: true
exploited: true
ingestedAt: '2026-08-12T05:52:07.617Z'
exploits:
  github: 1
  githubRepos:
    - 'https://github.com/goichot/CVE-2020-3433'
  metasploit:
    - exploit/windows/local/anyconnect_lpe
  checkedAt: '2026-09-21T15:23:57.491Z'
exploitAvailable: true
---

## Overview

A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform a DLL hijacking attack. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have valid credentials on the Windows system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of resources that are loaded by the application at run time. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted IPC message to the AnyConnect process. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected machine with SYSTEM privileges. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have valid credentials on the Windows system.

## Affected

- `anyconnect_secure_mobility_client < 4.9.00086`

## Remediation

Upgrade past the affected range:

- `anyconnect_secure_mobility_client 4.9.00086`