Privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows 10
CVE-2020-16940
<p>An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows User Profile Service (ProfSvc) improperly handles junction points. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could delete files and folders in an elevated context.</p> <p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and delete files or folders of their choosing.</p> <p>The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows User Profile Service handles junction points.</p>
Vulnerability class: Privilege Escalation
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: 0.016 (74.3th percentile), scored .
Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 74th percentile — 74.3% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.
EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.016 · newest: 0.016 · change: 0.000
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows 10 — versions 1607, 1709, 1803
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1507 — versions 10.0.0
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 — versions 10.0.0
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1709 — versions 10.0.0
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1709 For 32-Bit Systems — versions 10.0.0
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1803 — versions 10.0.0
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 — versions 10.0.0
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1903 For 32-Bit Systems — versions 10.0.0
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1903 For Arm64-Based Systems — versions 10.0.0
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1903 For X64-Based Systems — versions 10.0.0
Weakness classification (CWE)
References
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-16940 (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1248/ (Third Party Advisory)
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2020-16940?
- CVE-2020-16940 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10, classified under Improper Privilege Management. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2020-10-16.
- How severe is CVE-2020-16940?
- High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.