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Full vulnerability report · 2020
CVE-2020-1078High confidence

Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1507

7.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:Medium, lowered one band.downgradedsince 19 Aug 2026

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • Exploitation requires an existing local or physical foothold with privileges.
  • EPSS is 0.83% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1507 and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: As exposure requiresRemediation target: Within 365 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2020-11968

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows Installer because of the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would require unprivileged execution on the victim system. After successfully exploiting the vulnerability, an attacker could run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
7.8 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows Installer because of the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would require unprivileged execution on the victim system. After successfully exploiting the vulnerability, an attacker could run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations.

What

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows Installer because of the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would require unprivileged execution on the victim system. After successfully exploiting the vulnerability, an attacker could run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations.

Why

The current structured CVE record identifies a security weakness, but the root cause requires confirmation in the linked vendor material.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

What

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows Installer because of the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would require unprivileged execution on the victim system. After successfully exploiting the vulnerability, an attacker could run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations.

Why

The current structured CVE record identifies a security weakness, but the root cause requires confirmation in the linked vendor material.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
local access → vulnerable operation → execute code or commands in the affected security context
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration.
CWE not yet assigned
CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
Remote code executionPrivilege escalation
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2020-11968Official EUVD mapping

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows Installer because of the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would require unprivileged execution on the victim system. After successfully exploiting the vulnerability, an attacker could run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the way Windows Installer handles certain filesystem operations.

Official EUVD record ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20200527Security Bulletin 27 May 2020

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 27 May 2020, published on 27 May 2020. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2020-AVI-287Multiples vulnérabilités dans Microsoft Windows

.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1061 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1067 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1067 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1068 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1068 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1070 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1070 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1071 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1071 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1072 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1072 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1075 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1075 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1076 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1076 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1077 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1077 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1078 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1078 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1079 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1079 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1081 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1081 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1082 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1082 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1084 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1084 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1086 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1086 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1087 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1087 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1088 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1088 Référence CVE CVE-2020-1090 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1090 Ré

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2020-005781複数の Microsoft Windows 製品における権限を昇格される脆弱性

複数の Microsoft Windows 製品には、Windowsインストーラが特定のファイルシステム操作を処理する方法に不備があるため、権限を昇格される脆弱性が存在します。 ベンダは、本脆弱性を「Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability」として公開しています。

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-5139MS 5월 보안 위협에 따른 정기 보안 업데이트 권고

- 권한상승 취약점(CVE-2020-1010, CVE-2020-1021, CVE-2020-1048, CVE-2020-1054, CVE-2020-1056, CVE-2020-1068, CVE-2020-1070, CVE-2020-1071, CVE-2020-1077, CVE-2020-1078, CVE-2020-1079, CVE-2020-1081, CVE-2020-1082, CVE-2020-1086, CVE-2020-1087, CVE-2020-1088, CVE-2020-1090, CVE-2020-1109, CVE-2020-1110, CVE-2020-1111, CVE-2020-1112, CVE-2020-1114, CVE-2020-1121, CVE-2020-1124, CVE-2020-1125, CVE-2020-1131, CVE-2020-1132, CVE-2020-1134, CVE-2020-1135, CVE-2020-1137, CVE-2020-1138, CVE-2020-1139, CVE-2020-1140, CVE-2020-1142, CVE-2020-1143, CVE-2020-1144, CVE-2020-1149, CVE-2020-1151, CVE-2020-1154, CVE-2020-1155, CVE-2020-1156, CVE-2020-1157, CVE-2020-1158, CVE-2020-1164, CVE-2020-1165, CVE-2020-1166, CVE-2020-1184, CVE-2020-1185, CVE-2020-1186, CVE-2020-1187, CVE-2020-1188, CVE-2020-1189, CVE-2020-1190, CVE-2020-1191)

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
Fixed
An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 21 May 2020 · Last source change 19 Aug 2026, 16:33 UTC · CWE not yet assigned

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2020-11968
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceUnavailable
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Missing structured fields: CWE classification. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078; removed patch: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078; removed remediation: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078.
    Before
    patch: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078 · patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078 · remediation: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078
    After
    patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078 · remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078
    portal.msrc.microsoft.com ↗
  2. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added patch: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078; added remediation: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078; removed remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078.
    Before
    patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078 · remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078
    After
    patch: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078 · patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078 · remediation: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2020-1078
    msrc.microsoft.com ↗
  3. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems; 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems; 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems; 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems; 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems; 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems; 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems; 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    After
    10.0.10240.0 < publication; 10.0.14393.0 < publication; 10.0.0 < publication; 10.0.17763.0 < publication · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    CNA ↗
  4. CVSS scoreCVSS vector changed while the displayed base score remained 7.8.
    Before
    7.8 (CVSS 3.1 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    After
    7.8 (CVSS 3.1 · CNA · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C)
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2020-11968↗Patch or update reference↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2020-1078 · cve.blacktree.nl