MEDIUM CVSS 6.5
Published: 2020-12-21

CVE-2020-3999

vmware workstation Security Advisory (CVE-2020-3999)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2020-3999 impacting vmware workstation. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
VMware ESXi (7.0 prior to ESXi70U1c-17325551), VMware Workstation (16.x prior to 16.0 and 15.x prior to 15.5.7), VMware Fusion (12.x prior to 12.0 and 11.x prior to 11.5.7) and VMware Cloud Foundation contain a denial of service vulnerability due to improper input validation in GuestInfo. A malicious actor with normal user privilege access to a virtual machine can crash the virtual machine's vmx process leading to a denial of service condition.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Changed (S:C)
Impacts components beyond caller authority
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product vmware / workstation
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-20

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2020-3999 impacting vmware workstation.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2020-3999.yaml
id: cve-2020-3999

info:
  name: vmware workstation - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2020-3999 affecting vmware workstation.
    Evaluation: VMware ESXi (7.0 prior to ESXi70U1c-17325551), VMware Workstation (16.x prior to 16.0 and 15.x prior to 15.5.7), VMware Fusion (12.x prior to 12.0 and...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2020-3999
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
    cvss-score: 6.5
    cve-id: CVE-2020-3999
    cwe-id: CWE-20
  tags: cve,cve-2020-3999,vmware,workstation,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "workstation"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2020-3999.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2020-3999
# Target: vmware workstation | CVSS: 6.5 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2020-3999 (vmware workstation)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against vmware workstation scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2020-3999.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2020-3999
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install workstation 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade workstation 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update workstation

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i workstation 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i workstation

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2020-3999 in vmware workstation?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update vmware workstation packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2020-3999?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2020-3999?

CVE-2020-3999 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 6.5 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
6.5
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2020-3999
Weakness CWE-20
Vendor vmware
Product workstation
Published 2020-12-21
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H