How severe is CVE-2020-3971?

CVE-2020-3971 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.

Is CVE-2020-3971 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (25th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-3971?

CVE-2020-3971 primarily affects Vmware Cloud Foundation. In total, 94 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-3971?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-3971 published?

CVE-2020-3971 was published on 2020-06-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-3971

CVE-2020-3971 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Vmware Cloud Foundation with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-787.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (25th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Vmware Cloud Foundation
Published: 2020-06-25
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

VMware ESXi (6.7 before ESXi670-201904101-SG and 6.5 before ESXi650-201907101-SG), Workstation (15.x before 15.0.2), and Fusion (11.x before 11.0.2) contain a heap overflow vulnerability in the vmxnet3 virtual network adapter. A malicious actor with local access to a virtual machine with a vmxnet3 network adapter present may be able to read privileged information contained in physical memory.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-3971?: VMware ESXi (6.7 before ESXi670-201904101-SG and 6.5 before ESXi650-201907101-SG), Workstation (15.x before 15.0.2), and Fusion (11.x before 11.0.2) contain a heap overflow vulnerability in the vmxnet3 virtual network adapter. A malicious actor with local access to a virtual machine with a vmxnet3 network adapter present may be able to read privileged information contained in physical memory.
How severe is CVE-2020-3971?: CVE-2020-3971 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2020-3971 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (25th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-3971?: CVE-2020-3971 primarily affects Vmware Cloud Foundation. In total, 94 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-3971?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-3971 published?: CVE-2020-3971 was published on 2020-06-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0015.html

Affected products (94)

cpe:2.3:a:vmware:cloud_foundation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:fusion:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:workstation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707211:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707212:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707213:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707214:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707215:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707216:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707217:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707218:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707219:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707220:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707221:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201710001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201712001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201803001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201806001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201808001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201810001:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201810002:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201811001:*:*:*:*:*:*

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