# CVE-2020-7280: Symbolic Link vulnerability during DAT update

> Local attackers can escalate privileges and modify files via symbolic link manipulation during DAT updates in McAfee VirusScan Enterprise.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Jun 2020
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cpp4-9ggm-fr5x

## What is CVE-2020-7280?

CVE-2020-7280 is a high-severity vulnerability in McAfee, LLC McAfee VirusScan Enterprise (VSE), published on 10 Jun 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Privilege Escalation vulnerability during daily DAT updates when using McAfee Virus Scan Enterprise (VSE) prior to 8.8 Patch 15 allows local users to cause the deletion and creation of files they would not normally have permission to through altering the target of symbolic links. This is timing dependent.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-7280?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mcafee Virusscan Enterprise.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-7280?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-7280 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-7280 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-7280 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in McAfee, LLC McAfee VirusScan Enterprise (VSE)

- [CVE-2009-5118](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-5118/): Path traversal in n/a (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2020-7266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7266/): Privilege Escalation vulnerability through symbolic links in VSE for Windows (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-7267](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7267/): Privilege Escalation vulnerability through symbolic links in VSEL (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2016-8023](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8023/): Auth bypass in VirusScan Enterprise Linux (VSEL) (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2016-8024](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8024/): Other in VirusScan Enterprise Linux (VSEL) (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-7280 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-7280 is a high-severity vulnerability in McAfee, LLC McAfee VirusScan Enterprise (VSE), published on 10 Jun 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-7280 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: McAfee, LLC McAfee VirusScan Enterprise (VSE). 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-2020-7280/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7280/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-7280
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-7280
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-7280

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7280/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.