CVE-2020-1048
Medium
Elevated severity or exploit probability.
CVSS base
7.8
HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS — probability of exploitation (30 days)
16.4%
96.8th percentile
CISA KEV
Not listed
Weakness / dates
CWE-669
Published 2020-05-21 · modified 2026-08-19
CVSS breakdown
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Attack Vector | L | Local |
| Attack Complexity | L | Low |
| Privileges Required | L | Low |
| User Interaction | N | None |
| Scope | U | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | H | High |
| Integrity | H | High |
| Availability | H | High |
Timeline
- 2020-05-21 — Published (NVD)
- 2026-08-19 — Last modified (NVD)
Description
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly allows arbitrary writing to the file system. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with elevated system privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would have to log on to an affected system and run a specially crafted script or application. The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows Print Spooler Component writes to the file system.
Affected
References
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1048
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158222/Windows-Print-Spooler-Privilege-Escalation.html
- exploit http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/159217/Microsoft-Spooler-Local-Privilege-Elevation.html
- https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-1048