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ESXi CVE-2020-4005

HIGH
2020-11-20 security@vmware.com
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Impact

CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction not required.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

Successful exploitation could compromise the high-severity affected system.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

VMware ESXi (7.0 before ESXi70U1b-17168206, 6.7 before ESXi670-202011101-SG, 6.5 before ESXi650-202011301-SG) contains a privilege-escalation vulnerability that exists in the way certain system calls. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.

RemediationAI

A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.

Affects your stack

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Technical ContextAI · show details

VMware ESXi (7.0 before ESXi70U1b-17168206, 6.7 before ESXi670-202011101-SG, 6.5 before ESXi650-202011301-SG) contains a privilege-escalation vulnerability that exists in the way certain system calls are being managed. A malicious actor with privileges within the VMX process only, may escalate their privileges on the affected system. Successful exploitation of this issue is only possible when chained with another vulnerability (e.g. CVE-2020-4004) Affected products include: Vmware Cloud Foundation, Vmware Esxi.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionNVD

VMware ESXi (7.0 before ESXi70U1b-17168206, 6.7 before ESXi670-202011101-SG, 6.5 before ESXi650-202011301-SG) contains a privilege-escalation vulnerability that exists in the way certain system calls are being managed. A malicious actor with privileges within the VMX process only, may escalate their privileges on the affected system. Successful exploitation of this issue is only possible when chained with another vulnerability (e.g. CVE-2020-4004)

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 70% exploitable
Data Quality
2 sources
Confidence: Low

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:vmware:cloud_foundation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:cloud_foundation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201701001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201703001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201703002:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201704001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707101:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707102:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707103:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707201:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707202:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707203:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707204:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707205:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707206:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707207:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707208:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707209:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707210:*:*:*:*:*:*
+ 161 more

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