CVE-2020-3992

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8—
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

Score elevated to 9.8 because this CVE is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), indicating real-world exploitation has been confirmed by US federal agencies. NVD baseline CVSS 9.8 retained for reference. Confidence: HIGH.

Triggered by: CISA KEV (actively exploited)
Sources: cisa_kev, epss, ghsa, nvd
Trending — 4 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild
9.8EG
EchelonGraph verdictPatch nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
  • 6 internet-exposed hosts are running an affected version right now
  • Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV)
  • Linked to ransomware campaigns
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS PROB: 83%CVSS: 9.8Exploit: cisa kev · ssvc active · kev ransomware · epss top5pct · epss high · public exploitExposed: 6

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

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.

Live · internet exposure

6 internet-exposed hosts are running an affected version of CVE-2020-3992 right now.

across 5 countries (Pakistan, Argentina, India, Iran, Islamic Republic of, Thailand)top: esxi🔒 ransomware-linked
See the live KEV-Exposure radar →Found passively from public internet-scan data — aggregate, host-redacted.

EchelonGraph is the only CVE feed that fuses live vulnerability intelligence with its own live internet-exposure radar — so you see not just that a CVE is exploited, but how much of the internet is exposed to it right now.

CVSS v3
9.8
EG Score
9.8(high)
EG Risk
99(Act)
EG Risk 99/100SSVC: Act

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity98% × 45%
Exploitation100% × 40%
Automatability100% × 15%
Action: Fix now — active exploitation, automatable, high impact.
EPSS PROB
83%
EPSS %ILE
100%
KEV
⚠ Exploited

Published

October 20, 2020

Last Modified

August 12, 2026

Advisory Details (4)

Auto-updated Aug 19, 2026
⚠️ Active exploitation confirmed. Patch available. Sources: cisa.
cisa Patch Available🔴 Active Exploitation

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA. Listed in CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-3992
generic

ZDI-20-1385 - TrendAI™ Zero Day Initiative™ (ZDI)

https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1385/
generic

ZDI-20-1377 - TrendAI™ Zero Day Initiative™ (ZDI)

https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1377/
generic

Support Content Notification - Support Portal - Broadcom support portal

https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2020-0023.html

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 51× in last 7d / 202× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 582 total refreshes for this CVE.

  1. 2026-08-21 12:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
  2. 2026-08-21 08:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  3. 2026-08-21 04:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-08-21 00:21 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-08-21 00:21 UTCGHSA enrichment
  6. 2026-08-20 20:23 UTCGHSA enrichment
  7. 2026-08-20 17:06 UTCCISA KEV update
  8. 2026-08-20 16:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
  9. 2026-08-20 12:26 UTCGHSA enrichment
  10. 2026-08-20 08:27 UTCGHSA enrichment
  11. 2026-08-20 04:29 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-08-20 00:30 UTCGHSA enrichment
  13. 2026-08-19 20:31 UTCGHSA enrichment
  14. 2026-08-19 17:33 UTCCISA KEV update
  15. 2026-08-19 16:32 UTCGHSA enrichment
  16. 2026-08-19 12:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
  17. 2026-08-19 08:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
  18. 2026-08-19 04:36 UTCGHSA enrichment
  19. 2026-08-19 00:36 UTCGHSA enrichment
  20. 2026-08-18 20:35 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-08-18 16:58 UTCCISA KEV update
  22. 2026-08-18 16:36 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-08-18 12:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
  24. 2026-08-18 08:31 UTCGHSA enrichment
  25. 2026-08-18 04:32 UTCGHSA enrichment
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-08-18 00:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
  2. 2026-08-17 20:32 UTCGHSA enrichment
  3. 2026-08-17 16:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-08-17 13:56 UTCCISA KEV update
  5. 2026-08-17 12:35 UTCGHSA enrichment
  6. 2026-08-17 08:36 UTCGHSA enrichment
  7. 2026-08-17 04:38 UTCGHSA enrichment
  8. 2026-08-17 00:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  9. 2026-08-16 20:40 UTCGHSA enrichment
  10. 2026-08-16 16:41 UTCGHSA enrichment
  11. 2026-08-16 12:43 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-08-16 08:44 UTCGHSA enrichment
  13. 2026-08-16 04:46 UTCEG score recompute
  14. 2026-08-16 04:46 UTCGHSA enrichment
  15. 2026-08-16 02:11 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-08-16 00:48 UTCGHSA enrichment
  17. 2026-08-15 20:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  18. 2026-08-15 16:50 UTCGHSA enrichment
  19. 2026-08-15 12:51 UTCGHSA enrichment
  20. 2026-08-15 08:52 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-08-15 04:53 UTCEG score recompute
  22. 2026-08-15 04:53 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-08-15 01:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  24. 2026-08-15 00:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
  25. 2026-08-14 20:55 UTCGHSA enrichment
  26. 2026-08-14 16:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  27. 2026-08-14 12:58 UTCGHSA enrichment
  28. 2026-08-14 09:00 UTCGHSA enrichment
  29. 2026-08-14 05:01 UTCGHSA enrichment
  30. 2026-08-14 01:03 UTCGHSA enrichment
  31. 2026-08-13 21:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
  32. 2026-08-13 17:05 UTCGHSA enrichment
  33. 2026-08-13 13:06 UTCGHSA enrichment
  34. 2026-08-13 09:08 UTCGHSA enrichment
  35. 2026-08-13 05:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
  36. 2026-08-13 01:11 UTCGHSA enrichment
  37. 2026-08-12 21:13 UTCGHSA enrichment
  38. 2026-08-12 17:14 UTCEG score recompute
  39. 2026-08-12 17:14 UTCGHSA enrichment
  40. 2026-08-12 13:47 UTCEPSS rescore
  41. 2026-08-12 13:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  42. 2026-08-12 09:17 UTCGHSA enrichment
  43. 2026-08-12 05:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
  44. 2026-08-12 04:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  45. 2026-08-12 01:38 UTCGHSA enrichment
  46. 2026-08-11 21:39 UTCGHSA enrichment
  47. 2026-08-11 19:32 UTCCISA KEV update
  48. 2026-08-11 17:41 UTCGHSA enrichment
  49. 2026-08-11 13:43 UTCGHSA enrichment
  50. 2026-08-11 09:44 UTCGHSA enrichment
  51. 2026-08-11 05:46 UTCGHSA enrichment
  52. 2026-08-11 01:47 UTCGHSA enrichment
  53. 2026-08-10 21:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  54. 2026-08-10 17:50 UTCGHSA enrichment
  55. 2026-08-10 13:52 UTCGHSA enrichment
  56. 2026-08-10 09:54 UTCGHSA enrichment
  57. 2026-08-10 05:55 UTCGHSA enrichment
  58. 2026-08-10 01:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  59. 2026-08-09 21:58 UTCGHSA enrichment
  60. 2026-08-09 18:00 UTCGHSA enrichment
  61. 2026-08-09 14:01 UTCGHSA enrichment
  62. 2026-08-09 10:03 UTCGHSA enrichment
  63. 2026-08-09 06:05 UTCGHSA enrichment
  64. 2026-08-09 02:06 UTCGHSA enrichment
  65. 2026-08-08 22:08 UTCGHSA enrichment
  66. 2026-08-08 18:09 UTCGHSA enrichment
  67. 2026-08-08 14:11 UTCGHSA enrichment
  68. 2026-08-08 10:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
  69. 2026-08-08 06:13 UTCGHSA enrichment
  70. 2026-08-08 02:15 UTCGHSA enrichment
  71. 2026-08-07 22:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  72. 2026-08-07 18:18 UTCEG score recompute
  73. 2026-08-07 18:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
  74. 2026-08-07 17:09 UTCCISA KEV update
  75. 2026-08-07 16:23 UTCEPSS rescore

Publicly available exploits

(2 references)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (2 GitHub PoCs). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

  • GitHub PoCdgh05t/VMware_ESXI_OpenSLP_PoCs
    First seen Feb 4, 2021

    CVE-2020-3992 & CVE-2019-5544

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCHynekPetrak/CVE-2019-5544_CVE-2020-3992
    First seen Dec 1, 2020

    Python / scapy module implementing SRVLOC/SLP protocol and scans for enabled OpenSLP services.

    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2020-3992?
CVE-2020-3992 is a critical vulnerability published on October 20, 2020. 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…
When was CVE-2020-3992 disclosed?
CVE-2020-3992 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on October 20, 2020, with the most recent update on August 12, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2020-3992 actively exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2020-3992 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on November 3, 2021, affecting VMware ESXi. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate patching attention.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-3992?
CVE-2020-3992 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD).
Which products are affected by CVE-2020-3992?
CVE-2020-3992 affects VMware ESXi. The full affected-products list, including version ranges and fixed versions, is shown in the Affected Packages section of this page.
How do I remediate CVE-2020-3992?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2020-3992, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

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