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

EPSS: 0.016 (72.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

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.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

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.