CVE-2020-0683
Microsoft Windows: Installer Privilege Escalation
As of , CVE-2020-0683 in Microsoft Windows is on CISA's list of exploited vulnerabilities: CISA listed it on . Our patch-first group: Patch soon.
- Exploited
- Yes: CISA listed it on 3 November 2021
- US federal deadline
- 3 May 2022181 days after CISA listed it. US federal civilian agencies must fix it by then.
- Used in ransomware campaigns
- Not known to CISA
- EPSS score
- 0.08Higher than 94% of the CVEs EPSS scores. EPSS estimates the chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
- EPSS when listed
- Not availableCISA listed it before 4 February 2022, where the EPSS files we read begin.
- Public exploit
- 1 Exploit-DB entry
- Fix
- No vendor link in CISA's entry
What CISA says to do
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA's required action
What the flaw is
Microsoft Windows Installer contains a privilege escalation vulnerability when MSI packages process symbolic links, which allows attackers to bypass access restrictions to add or remove files.
CISA's description
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the Windows Installer when MSI packages process symbolic links, aka 'Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2020-0686.
The CVE record's description, from microsoft
- CVE published
- 11 February 2020
- Assigned by
- microsoft
- CVSS
- 7.8 High (CVSS 3.1, from CISA-ADP)
- CWE-59
- Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
- CISA SSVC, exploitation
- active
- CISA SSVC, automatable
- no
- CISA SSVC, technical impact
- total
Timeline
- The CVE record was published.
- Exploit-DB published an exploit (EDB-ID 48079).
- CISA added it to its list of exploited vulnerabilities.
- The US federal deadline to fix it.
Public exploits
Facts from Metasploit's module list and Exploit-DB's index; we never copy exploit code.
- Exploit-DB: MSI Packages Symbolic Links Processing - Windows 10 Privilege EscalationEDB-ID 48079, 17 February 2020
Windows: other exploited entries
| Vulnerability | Product | Our group | Listed | Deadline | EPSS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-60710Link Following | Microsoft Windows | Patch nowRansomware use, listed within a year | 0.05 | ||
| CVE-2008-4250Buffer Overflow | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.99; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.99 | ||
| CVE-2008-0015Video ActiveX Control Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.77; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.77 | ||
| CVE-2013-3918Out-of-Bounds Write | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.74; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.74 | ||
| CVE-2010-2568Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.91; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.91 | ||
| CVE-2015-0016TS WebProxy Directory Traversal | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.76; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.76 | ||
| CVE-2015-2426Adobe Type Manager Library Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.87; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.87 | ||
| CVE-2014-6332Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) Automation Array Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.95; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.95 | ||
| CVE-2017-0146SMB Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekRansomware use; Metasploit module; EPSS 0.90; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.90 | ||
| CVE-2014-4114Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) Remote Code Execution | Microsoft Windows | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.82; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.82 |
Read further
- CVE recordcve.org
- NVD entrynvd.nist.gov
- CISA's catalogcisa.gov
- EPSS for this CVEapi.first.org