Microsoft · Windows

CVE-2020-0787

Microsoft Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

Evidence

Source & freshness

Full source status →

CISA KEV catalog Core KEV record

CVE, vendor/product, CISA dates, ransomware status, description, required action, and notes.

Catalog 2026.07.24 · Retrieved 2026-07-25 20:49 UTC Open official CISA feed ↗

MITRE CWE catalog CWE context

CWE names and plain-language weakness descriptions. CISA supplies the CWE assignment itself.

Retrieved 2026-07-25 20:59 UTC Open official MITRE CWE catalog ↗

National Vulnerability Database NVD technical context

CVSS metrics, NVD timeline, and related NVD record data are stored locally.

Retrieved Jul 25, 2026, 08:49 PM UTC Open NVD record ↗

CISA KEV record

CISA date added: 2022-01-28
CISA due date: 2022-07-28
Known ransomware use: Known

NVD risk context

7.8 HIGH

CVSS is a technical severity score. CISA’s KEV status remains the evidence that this vulnerability is known to be exploited.

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Attack vector

Local

An attacker needs local access to the affected system.

Attack complexity

Low

Exploitation does not require unusual conditions beyond normal attacker control.

Privileges required

None

The attacker does not need an existing account or privileges.

User interaction

Required

A user must take an action, such as opening a file or link.

Description

Microsoft Windows BITS is vulnerable to to a privilege elevation vulnerability if it improperly handles symbolic links. An actor can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges.

Required action

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

NVD reference index

Vendor and remediation references

NVD has tagged these sources as vendor advisories, patches, mitigations, or release notes.

https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-0787 ↗
PatchVendor Advisory NVD reference source: secure@microsoft.com

Other NVD references (2)

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158056/Background-Intelligent-Transfer-Service-Privilege-Escalation.html ↗
ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry NVD reference source: secure@microsoft.com
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-0787 ↗
US Government Resource NVD reference source: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

MITRE CWE context

CWE classification

CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management

The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.

View official MITRE CWE details ↗

CWE-59 Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

View official MITRE CWE details ↗

NVD record timing

NVD record timeline

These dates describe NVD’s record, not CISA’s KEV addition or remediation due date.

NVD published: Mar 12, 2020, 04:15 PM UTC
NVD last updated: Jun 17, 2026, 02:46 AM UTC

Advanced: view the technical CVSS vector

This standardized code is intended for security tools and technical analysts. The plain-language risk summary above explains its main points.

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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CISA notes

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-0787

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-0787