How severe is CVE-2020-3992?

CVE-2020-3992 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-3992 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2020-3992 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-3992?

CVE-2020-3992 primarily affects Vmware Cloud Foundation. In total, 223 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-3992?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2020-3992 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2020-3992 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2020-25257. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).

When was CVE-2020-3992 published?

CVE-2020-3992 was published on 2020-10-20 and last updated on 2026-08-12.

CVE-2020-3992

CVE-2020-3992 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Vmware Cloud Foundation with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2021-11-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-416.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 10.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 83% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2021-11-03)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2020-25257
EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2021-11-03)
Weakness: CWE-416
Affected product: Vmware Cloud Foundation
Published: 2020-10-20
Last modified: 2026-08-12

Description

OpenSLP as used in VMware ESXi (7.0 before ESXi_7.0.1-0.0.16850804, 6.7 before ESXi670-202010401-SG, 6.5 before ESXi650-202010401-SG) has a use-after-free issue. A malicious actor residing in the management network who has access to port 427 on an ESXi machine may be able to trigger a use-after-free in the OpenSLP service resulting in remote code execution.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-3992?: OpenSLP as used in VMware ESXi (7.0 before ESXi_7.0.1-0.0.16850804, 6.7 before ESXi670-202010401-SG, 6.5 before ESXi650-202010401-SG) has a use-after-free issue. A malicious actor residing in the management network who has access to port 427 on an ESXi machine may be able to trigger a use-after-free in the OpenSLP service resulting in remote code execution.
How severe is CVE-2020-3992?: CVE-2020-3992 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-3992 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2020-3992 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-3992?: CVE-2020-3992 primarily affects Vmware Cloud Foundation. In total, 223 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-3992?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2020-3992 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2020-3992 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2020-25257. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).
When was CVE-2020-3992 published?: CVE-2020-3992 was published on 2020-10-20 and last updated on 2026-08-12.

References

Affected products (223)

cpe:2.3:a:vmware:cloud_foundation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:2:*:*:*:*:*:*
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:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201811002:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Vmware Cloud Foundation

CVE-2023-34063 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): Aria Automation contains a Missing Access Control vulnerability. An authenticated malicious actor may exploit this…
CVE-2024-38812 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The vCenter Server contains a heap-overflow vulnerability in the implementation of the DCERPC protocol. A malicious…
CVE-2024-37079 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): vCenter Server contains a heap-overflow vulnerability in the implementation of the DCERPC protocol. A malicious actor…
CVE-2023-20864 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): VMware Aria Operations for Logs contains a deserialization vulnerability. An unauthenticated, malicious actor with…
CVE-2022-22972 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): VMware Workspace ONE Access, Identity Manager and vRealize Automation contain an authentication bypass vulnerability…
CVE-2022-22954 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): VMware Workspace ONE Access and Identity Manager contain a remote code execution vulnerability due to server-side…

All CVEs affecting Vmware Cloud Foundation →

Other CWE-416 (Use After Free) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-63795 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: 9p: avoid putting oldfid in p9_client_walk() error…
CVE-2026-13782 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Use after free in Browser in Google Chrome prior to 150.0.7871.47 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the…
CVE-2026-4725 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to use-after-free in the Graphics: Canvas2D component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox 149…
CVE-2026-4688 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Sandbox escape due to use-after-free in the Disability Access APIs component. This vulnerability was fixed in Firefox…
CVE-2025-24085 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A use after free issue was addressed with improved memory management. This issue is fixed in iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3,…
CVE-2024-43102 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Concurrent removals of certain anonymous shared memory mappings by using the UMTX_SHM_DESTROY sub-request of…

Browse all CWE-416 (Use After Free) vulnerabilities →