Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2020-0683
CVE-2020-0683
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
Windows Installer privilege escalation via symbolic link processing allows attackers to bypass access restrictions and manipulate files on affected systems.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows Installer's handling of symbolic links enables unauthorized file operations. Exploitation requires local access but can lead to system compromise through arbitrary file addition or removal.
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Public proof-of-concept exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
1 independent public report of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.07667 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Microsoft, Windows. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft a malicious MSI package containing symbolic links pointing to protected system directories.
Business
Attackers gain a reliable method to escalate privileges on Windows systems without requiring administrative credentials.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I trigger MSI installation through a local user account, exploiting the symbolic link processing flaw.
Business
The attack surface expands to any user capable of initiating package installations, increasing organizational risk.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I use the elevated context to add malicious files or remove security-critical system files.
Business
System integrity is compromised, enabling persistence mechanisms, lateral movement, or denial of service.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05