# CVE-2024-20338: Privilege escalation in Cisco Secure Client

> Local attackers can elevate privileges to root by exploiting an uncontrolled search path in the ISE Posture module of Cisco Secure Client for Linux.

- **Severity:** High 7.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 6 Mar 2024
- **Updated:** 1 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hf75-xw57-474f

## What is CVE-2024-20338?

CVE-2024-20338 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Secure Client, published on 6 Mar 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A vulnerability in the ISE Posture (System Scan) module of Cisco Secure Client for Linux could allow an authenticated, local attacker to elevate privileges on an affected device.

 This vulnerability is due to the use of an uncontrolled search path element. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by copying a malicious library file to a specific directory in the filesystem and persuading an administrator to restart a specific process. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code on an affected device with root privileges.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-20338?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Cisco Secure Client.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-20338?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-20338 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2024-20338 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-20338 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2024-20338 talk for Behind The Code Talk (github_poc): https://github.com/annmuor/CVE-2024-20338

## Other vulnerabilities in Cisco Secure Client

- [CVE-2024-20337](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20337/): Cross-site scripting in Cisco Secure Client (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2025-20206](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-20206/): Cisco Secure Client for Windows with VPN Posture (HostScan) Module DLL Hijacking Vulnerability (high 7.1)
- [CVE-2024-20391](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20391/): Auth bypass in Cisco Secure Client (medium 6.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-20338 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-20338 is a high-severity vulnerability in Cisco Secure Client, published on 6 Mar 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-20338 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Cisco Secure Client. 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-2024-20338/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20338/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-20338
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-20338
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-20338

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-20338/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.