CVE-2020-3556: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v6p8-gw74-vfg4
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-3556 is a HIGH security vulnerability vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-3556 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-3556
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v6p8-gw74-vfg4
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2020-3556

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-3556, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to cause a targeted AnyConnect user to execute a malicious script. The vulnerability is due to a lack of authentication to the IPC listener. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IPC messages to the AnyConnect client IPC listener. A successful exploit could allow an attacker to cause the targeted AnyConnect user to execute a script. This script would execute with the privileges of the targeted AnyConnect user. In order to successfully exploit this vulnerability, there must be an ongoing AnyConnect session by the targeted user at the time of the attack. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would also need valid user credentials on the system upon which the AnyConnect client is being run. Cisco has not released software updates that address this vulnerability.

References

NVD — CVE-2020-3556 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3556
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-anyconnect-ipc-KfQO9QhK

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-3556?
CVE-2020-3556 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under General Security Weakness.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2020-3556?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-3556?
CVE-2020-3556 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-3556?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-v6p8-gw74-vfg4",
  "modified" : "2022-05-24T17:33:21Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:33:21Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-3556" ],
  "details" : "A vulnerability in the interprocess communication (IPC) channel of Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client Software could allow an authenticated, local attacker to cause a targeted AnyConnect user to execute a malicious script. The vulnerability is due to a lack of authentication to the IPC listener. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted IPC messages to the AnyConnect client IPC listener. A successful exploit could allow an attacker to cause the targeted AnyConnect user to execute a script. This script would execute with the privileges of the targeted AnyConnect user. In order to successfully exploit this vulnerability, there must be an ongoing AnyConnect session by the targeted user at the time of the attack. To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would also need valid user credentials on the system upon which the AnyConnect client is being run. Cisco has not released software updates that address this vulnerability.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3556"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-anyconnect-ipc-KfQO9QhK"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-11-06T19:15:00Z"
  }
}