CVE-2020-1467 [Critical] | Security Vulnerability in Windows 10

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows improperly handles hard links. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could overwrite a targeted file leading to an elevated status. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and take control of an affected system. The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Windows handles hard links.

#	Date	Old EPSS score	New EPSS score	Delta (New - Old)
1	2026-06-15	1.69%	3.55%	+1.86%
2	2025-12-28	1.41%	1.69%	+0.27%
3	2025-12-27	—	1.41%	—

Date

Old EPSS score

New EPSS score

Delta (New - Old)

2026-06-15

1.69%

3.55%

+1.86%

2025-12-28

1.41%

1.69%

+0.27%

2025-12-27

—

1.41%

—

Base score	Version	Severity	Vector	Exploitability	Impact	Score source
10.0	3.1	CRITICAL	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. Attack complexity (AC:L) Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup. Privileges required (PR:N) No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:C) Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	3.9	6.0	[email protected]
7.8	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:L) They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by. Attack complexity (AC:L) Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup. Privileges required (PR:L) A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	1.8	5.9	[email protected]
7.2	2.0	HIGH	`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C` Click to expand Access vector (AV:L) Requires local access to the target system. Access complexity (AC:L) Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable. Authentication (AU:N) No authentication is required. Confidentiality impact (C:C) Complete confidentiality impact. Integrity impact (I:C) Complete integrity impact. Availability impact (A:C) Complete availability impact.	3.9	10.0	[email protected]

Base score

Version

Severity

Vector

Exploitability

Impact

Score source

10.0

3.1

CRITICAL

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L): Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N): No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C): Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

3.9

6.0

[email protected]

7.8

3.1

HIGH

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

Attack vector (AV:L): They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L): Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L): A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

1.8

5.9

[email protected]

7.2

2.0

HIGH

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand

Access vector (AV:L): Requires local access to the target system.
Access complexity (AC:L): Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N): No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C): Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C): Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C): Complete availability impact.

3.9

10.0

[email protected]

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-1467

Vendor	Product	Version	Raw CPE
microsoft	windows_10	1607	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:1607:::::::*
microsoft	windows_10	1809	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:1809:::::::*
microsoft	windows_10	1903	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:1903:::::::*
microsoft	windows_10	1909	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:1909:::::::*
microsoft	windows_10	2004	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10:2004:::::::*
microsoft	windows_7	—	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_7:-:sp1::::::
microsoft	windows_8.1	—	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_8.1:-:::::::*
microsoft	windows_rt_8.1	—	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_rt_8.1:-:::::::*
microsoft	windows_server_2008	—	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008:-:sp2::::::
microsoft	windows_server_2008	r2	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008:r2:sp1:::::x64:*
microsoft	windows_server_2012	—	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2012:-:::::::*
microsoft	windows_server_2012	r2	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2012:r2:::::::*
microsoft	windows_server_2016	—	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:-:::::::*
microsoft	windows_server_2016	1903	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:1903:::::::*
microsoft	windows_server_2016	1909	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:1909:::::::*
microsoft	windows_server_2016	2004	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:2004:::::::*
microsoft	windows_server_2019	—	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2019:-:::::::*

References for CVE-2020-1467

URL	Tags
https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-1467	Patch Vendor Advisory

URL

CVE-2020-1467 | Windows Hard Link Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2020-1467

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2020-1467

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2020-1467

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-1467

References for CVE-2020-1467