{"id":"CVE-2020-16908","url":"https://www.cyber-defence.io/tools/cve/CVE-2020-16908","generatedAt":"2026-10-28T04:17:48.043Z","title":"<p>An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows Setup in the way it handles directories.</p> <p>A locally authenticated attacker could run arbitrary code with elevated system privileges.","description":"<p>An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows Setup in the way it handles directories.</p>\n<p>A locally authenticated attacker could run arbitrary code with elevated system privileges. After successfully exploiting the vulnerability, an attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.</p>\n<p>The security update addresses the vulnerability by ensuring Windows Setup properly handles directories.</p>","published":"2020-10-16T23:15:14.000Z","lastModified":"2026-06-17T02:58:15.000Z","status":"Modified","sourceIdentifier":"secure@microsoft.com","cvss":{"version":"3.1","score":7.8,"severity":"HIGH","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"},"cwe":[],"affected":["microsoft/windows 10"],"epss":{"score":0.00955,"percentile":0.61214,"date":"2026-10-27","history":[]},"kev":{"listed":false},"exploits":{"count":0,"verified":false,"firstPublished":null,"source":"Exploit-DB (https://gitlab.com/exploit-database/exploitdb)","entries":[]},"verdict":{"level":"high","text":"High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (0.95%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit."},"changes":[],"references":[{"url":"https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-16908","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"],"source":"secure@microsoft.com"},{"url":"https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-16908","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"],"source":"af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108"}],"sources":{"nvd":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-16908","epss":"https://www.first.org/epss/","kev":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","exploitdb":"https://www.exploit-db.com/"},"licence":"CC BY 4.0 — link back to the CVE Explorer if you publish the results; upstream data remains subject to its own terms."}