# CVE-2020-7278: McAfee firewall rules not enforced correctly

> Remote attackers and local users can bypass firewall rules due to incorrect enforcement, allowing unauthorized network traffic.

- **Severity:** High 7.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 15 Apr 2020
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-988q-42c6-39xw

## What is CVE-2020-7278?

CVE-2020-7278 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS), published on 15 Apr 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Exploiting incorrectly configured access control security levels vulnerability in ENS Firewall in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 April 2020 and 10.6.1 April 2020 updates allows remote attackers and local users to allow or block unauthorized traffic via pre-existing rules not being handled correctly when updating to the February 2020 updates.

Weakness: CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), CWE-284 (Improper Access Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-7278?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mcafee Endpoint Security.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-7278?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-7278 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-7278 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-7278 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS)

- [CVE-2020-7319](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7319/): Improper Access Control Vulnerability in ENS for Windows (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-7264](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7264/): Privilege Escalation vulnerability through symbolic links in ENS for Windows (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-7265](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7265/): Privilege Escalation vulnerability through symbolic links in ENSM (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-3582](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3582/): McAfee Endpoint Security updates fix a privilege escalation vulnerability (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2020-7257](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7257/): Privilege Escalation vulnerability through Symbolic links in ENS (high 8.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-7278 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-7278 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS), published on 15 Apr 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-7278 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS). No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7278/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7278/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-7278
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7278
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-7278

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7278/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.