CVE-2020-0683

HIGH KEV

Windows - Elevation of Privilege via MSI Package Symbolic Link Processing

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

CVE-2020-0683 is actively exploited and listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added November 3, 2021. EIP tracks 4 public exploits from researchers including nu11secur1ty, padovah4ck, mirrors_padovah4ck.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This is a technical writeup describing CVE-2020-0683, a Windows Installer elevation of privilege vulnerability involving symbolic link processing. It provides details on exploitation mechanics, references, and a high-level overview of the exploit's functionality.

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.

Exploits (4)

exploitdb WRITEUP
by nu11secur1ty · textlocalwindows
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/48079

This is a technical writeup describing CVE-2020-0683, a Windows Installer elevation of privilege vulnerability involving symbolic link processing. It provides details on exploitation mechanics, references, and a high-level overview of the exploit's functionality.

Classification
Writeup 90%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows Installer (Windows 10)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Local access to the system · Ability to execute a crafted application
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 338 stars
by padovah4ck · local
https://github.com/padovah4ck/CVE-2020-0683

This repository contains a proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2020-0683, a Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege vulnerability. The exploit leverages file operation locks and reparse points to achieve privilege escalation on affected systems.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Microsoft Windows Installer (versions affected by CVE-2020-0683)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to a vulnerable Windows system · Ability to execute the compiled exploit binary
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
patchapalooza WORKING POC
by mirrors_padovah4ck · poc
https://gitee.com/mirrors_padovah4ck/CVE-2020-0683

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2020-0683, a Windows Installer Elevation of Privilege vulnerability. The exploit leverages file operation locks and reparse points to achieve privilege escalation, with source code provided for Visual Studio C++ 2017.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows Installer (msiexec.exe)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Windows system with vulnerable Windows Installer · Local access to execute the exploit
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 23, 2026 Full analysis →
patchapalooza STUB
by Ascotbe · local
https://github.com/Ascotbe/Kernelhub

The repository contains a collection of README files and configuration scripts for documenting Windows vulnerabilities, but no actual exploit code for CVE-2020-0683 or any other CVE. The provided files are primarily documentation and automation scripts for generating documentation.

Classification
Stub 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: N/A
No auth needed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 23, 2026 Full analysis →

References (2)

Core 2

Scores

CVSS v3 7.8
EPSS 0.3132
EPSS Percentile 96.9%
Attack Vector LOCAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation active
Automatable no
Technical Impact total

Details

CISA KEV 2021-11-03
VulnCheck KEV 2021-11-03
InTheWild.io 2021-07-23
ENISA EUVD EUVD-2020-2176
CWE
CWE-59
Status published
Products (19)
microsoft/windows_10_1507 (2 CPE variants)
microsoft/windows_10_1607 (2 CPE variants)
microsoft/windows_10_1709 (3 CPE variants)
microsoft/windows_10_1803 (3 CPE variants)
microsoft/windows_10_1809 (3 CPE variants)
microsoft/windows_10_1903 (3 CPE variants)
microsoft/windows_10_1909 (3 CPE variants)
microsoft/windows_7
microsoft/windows_8.1
microsoft/windows_rt_8.1
... and 9 more
Published Feb 11, 2020
KEV Added Nov 03, 2021
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026