How severe is CVE-2020-3986?

CVE-2020-3986 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.1, 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 low.

Is CVE-2020-3986 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (22nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-3986?

CVE-2020-3986 primarily affects Vmware Horizon Client. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-3986?

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

When was CVE-2020-3986 published?

CVE-2020-3986 was published on 2020-09-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-3986

CVE-2020-3986 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Vmware Horizon Client with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.1. 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-125.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.1)
CVSS v2: 3.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (22nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-125
Affected product: Vmware Horizon Client
Published: 2020-09-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

VMware Workstation (15.x) and Horizon Client for Windows (5.x before 5.4.4) contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Cortado ThinPrint component (EMF Parser). A malicious actor with normal access to a virtual machine may be able to exploit these issues to create a partial denial-of-service condition or to leak memory from TPView process running on the system where Workstation or Horizon Client for Windows is installed.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-3986?: VMware Workstation (15.x) and Horizon Client for Windows (5.x before 5.4.4) contain an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Cortado ThinPrint component (EMF Parser). A malicious actor with normal access to a virtual machine may be able to exploit these issues to create a partial denial-of-service condition or to leak memory from TPView process running on the system where Workstation or Horizon Client for Windows is installed.
How severe is CVE-2020-3986?: CVE-2020-3986 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.1, 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 low.
Is CVE-2020-3986 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (22nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-3986?: CVE-2020-3986 primarily affects Vmware Horizon Client. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-3986?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-3986 published?: CVE-2020-3986 was published on 2020-09-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0020.html

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:vmware:horizon_client:*:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:workstation_player:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:vmware:workstation_pro:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Vmware Horizon Client

CVE-2020-3974 — High (CVSS 7.8): VMware Fusion (11.x before 11.5.5), VMware Remote Console for Mac (11.x and prior before 11.2.0 ) and Horizon Client…
CVE-2020-3961 — High (CVSS 7.8): VMware Horizon Client for Windows (prior to 5.4.3) contains a privilege escalation vulnerability due to folder…
CVE-2020-3950 — High (CVSS 7.8): VMware Fusion (11.x before 11.5.2), VMware Remote Console for Mac (11.x and prior before 11.0.1) and Horizon Client for…
CVE-2019-5543 — High (CVSS 7.8): For VMware Horizon Client for Windows (5.x and prior before 5.3.0), VMware Remote Console for Windows (10.x before…
CVE-2018-6964 — High (CVSS 7.8): VMware Horizon Client for Linux (4.x before 4.8.0 and prior) contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability due to…
CVE-2020-3991 — High (CVSS 7.1): VMware Horizon Client for Windows (5.x before 5.5.0) contains a denial-of-service vulnerability due to a file system…

All CVEs affecting Vmware Horizon Client →

Other CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-24826 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Out-of-bounds Write, Divide By Zero, NULL Pointer Dereference, Use of Uninitialized Resource, Out-of-bounds Read,…
CVE-2024-22004 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Due to length check, an attacker with privilege access on a Linux Nonsecure operating system can trigger a…
CVE-2021-41556 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): sqclass.cpp in Squirrel through 2.2.5 and 3.x through 3.1 allows an out-of-bounds read (in the core interpreter) that…
CVE-2021-21777 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An information disclosure vulnerability exists in the Ethernet/IP UDP handler functionality of EIP Stack Group OpENer…
CVE-2017-14451 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An exploitable out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in libevm (Ethereum Virtual Machine) of CPP-Ethereum. A…
CVE-2013-0767 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The nsSVGPathElement::GetPathLengthScale function in Mozilla Firefox before 18.0, Firefox ESR 10.x before 10.0.12 and…

Browse all CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) vulnerabilities →