# CVE-2020-3950: VMware Multiple Products Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2020-3950-vmware-multiple-products-privilege-escalation-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2021-11-03. Updated: 2026-05-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2020-3950 · Severity: critical · CVSS 7.8 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2021-11-03

VMware Fusion, Remote Console, and Horizon Client for Mac contain a privilege escalation vulnerability due to the improper use of setuid binaries. A local attacker with normal user privileges can exploit this flaw to escalate their privileges to root on the affected macOS system.

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2020-3950 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2020-3950 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 3 November 2021. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2020-3950?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 3 November 2021.

**Which products and versions are affected?** VMware Fusion 11.x before 11.5.2; VMware Remote Console (VMRC) for Mac 11.x and prior before 11.0.1; VMware Horizon Client for Mac 5.x and prior before 5.4.0.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2020-3950?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2020-3950 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a network appliance.

**Am I affected by CVE-2020-3950?** Check whether anything you run is named in the advisory. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Affected products

- VMware Fusion 11.x before 11.5.2
- VMware Remote Console (VMRC) for Mac 11.x and prior before 11.0.1
- VMware Horizon Client for Mac 5.x and prior before 5.4.0

## Timeline

- 2020-03-12: advisory: Initial VMSA-2020-0005 advisory date (implied by reference)
- 2021-11-03: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
- 2021-11-03: disclosed