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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2020-3992

VMware ESXi OpenSLP Use-After-Free Vulnerability

Published Oct 20, 2020 · catalog updated Aug 11, 2026 · VMware ESXi

Patch now

CVE-2020-3992 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due May 3, 2022. Confirm VMware ESXi against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Severity
Critical9.8
Known exploitation
CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
83.02%
Remediation
Remediation guidance
Affected products
cpe vmware/cloud foundation · cpe vmware/esxi · vendor VMware ESXi

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.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe vmware/cloud foundationversion unspecified
  • cpe vmware/esxi6.5
  • vendor VMware ESXiversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2020-3992

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2020-3992 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due May 3, 2022. Confirm VMware ESXi against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with 6.5. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-416: Use After Free. EPSS 83.02%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Oct 20, 2020 · Catalog

    Detected

    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.

  2. Nov 3, 2021 · CISA KEV

    Known exploited

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  3. May 3, 2022 · CISA KEV

    Remediation due

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  4. Aug 11, 2026 · Catalog

    Updated

    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.

Sources

  • CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-3992

    VMware ESXi OpenSLP contains a use-after-free vulnerability that allows an attacker residing in the management network with access to port 427 to perform remote code execution.

    cisa.gov
  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2020-3992

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2020-3992

    30-day exploitation probability 83.0%

    first.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2020-3992

    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 trig

    nvd.nist.gov
  • VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-3992

    VMware ESXi OpenSLP contains a use-after-free vulnerability that allows an attacker residing in the management network with access to port 427 to perform remote code execution.

    vulncheck.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.