Vulnerability in Realtek High Definition Audio Driver
CVE-2016-20085
Realtek High Definition Audio Driver 6.0.1.6730 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability that allows local attackers to escalate privileges by placing a malicious executable in the service path. Attackers can insert an executable file in the unquoted path and restart the service to execute code with LocalSystem privileges.
Published · last modified .
CVSS v3 metric
CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
EPSS exploit prediction
EPSS: 0.002 (5.4th percentile), scored .
Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 5th percentile — 5.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.002 · newest: 0.002 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Realtek High Definition Audio Driver — versions 6.0.1.6730
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40587 (exploit)
- www.vulncheck.com/advisories/realtek-high-definition-audio-driver-privilege-esc… (third-party-advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2016-20085?
- CVE-2016-20085 is a high-severity vulnerability in Realtek High Definition Audio Driver, classified under Unquoted Search Path or Element. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-06-19.
- How severe is CVE-2016-20085?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.