CVE-2020-3992

Exp

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.

Published: 2020-10-20 Last update: 2025-10-30 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Analyzed，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2020-3992 is rated Critical Active Threat (98.5/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 90.31%, 100th percentile). CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2021-11-03) affecting VMware / ESXi. a weakness (CWE-416) Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2020-3992

Name: VMware ESXi OpenSLP Use-After-Free Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2021-11-03

Action due: 2022-05-03

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2020-3992

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-22 90.87% 90.31% -0.56%
2 2026-04-10 90.75% 90.87% +0.13%
3 2026-04-04 — 90.75% —

Full EPSS history (69 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2020-3992

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 [email protected]
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
10.0 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 10.0 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2020-3992

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-3992

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
vmware cloud_foundation >= 3.0, < 3.10.1.2 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:cloud_foundation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware cloud_foundation >= 4.0, < 4.1.0.1 cpe:2.3:a:vmware:cloud_foundation:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:2:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201701001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201703001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201703002:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201704001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707101:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707102:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707103:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707201:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707202:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707203:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707204:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707205:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707206:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707207:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707208:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707209:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707210:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707211:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707212:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707213:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707214:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707215:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707216:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707217:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707218:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707219:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707220:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201707221:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201710001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201712001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201803001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201806001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201808001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201810001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201810002:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201811001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201811002:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201811301:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201901001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201903001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201905001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201908001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201910001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-20191004001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201911001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201911401:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201911402:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912002:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912101:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912102:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912103:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912104:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912301:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912401:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912402:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912403:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-201912404:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-202005001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-202006001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-202007001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.5 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.5:650-202010001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201806001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201807001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201808001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810001:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810101:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810102:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810103:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810201:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810202:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810203:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810204:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810205:*:*:*:*:*:*
vmware esxi 6.7 cpe:2.3:o:vmware:esxi:6.7:670-201810206:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2020-3992

cvelogic Threat Intelligence