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Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2020-1020
CVE-2020-1020 · EUVD no mirror located · GCVE no mirror located Verified 2026-06-22

Microsoft Windows vulnerability

Microsoft Windows Adobe Font Manager Library remote code execution vulnerability via specially crafted multi-master fonts. Allows RCE on non-Windows 10 systems; limited AppContainer execution on Windows 10.

Verdict

Today item — known-exploited.

An attacker can achieve remote code execution by crafting malicious multi-master Adobe Type 1 PostScript fonts. On Windows 10, exploitation results in sandboxed execution; on earlier versions, full system compromise is possible.

CISA KEV Yes · 2021-11-033EPSS 0.65037 (verify live)4Exploit Public PoC5
01

Is it exploitable?

— the evidence, ranked above the score
Exploit 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
3 independent public reports 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).
CISA KEV ↗Confirmed
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.65037 — 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.
NVD ↗Reported
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-787 Out-of-bounds Write — weakness family: Memory safety.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
NVD ↗Reported
WeaknessCWE-787 · Out-of-bounds WriteMemory safety
02

Who’s exploiting it?

— attribution turns risk into urgency
Attribution 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 board
1

Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1

Attacker
I craft a malicious multi-master Adobe Type 1 PostScript font file and distribute it via email, web, or document embedding.
Business
End users receive compromised font files through routine communication channels, increasing infection surface.
2

Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2

Attacker
I trigger font parsing when the victim opens a document or application that loads the malicious font through the Adobe Font Manager Library.
Business
Standard user workflows like opening documents or viewing web content become attack vectors without additional user interaction.
3

Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3

Attacker
I exploit the buffer overflow in font handling to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the application processing the font.
Business
On pre-Windows 10 systems, attackers gain full system access; on Windows 10, code runs in restricted AppContainer context limiting lateral movement.
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

Coverage & confidence

— what we know, and what we don’t

Established (cited)

  • KEV listing (CISA)
  • EPSS probability (FIRST)
  • Public PoC available (VulnCheck)
  • 3 reported-exploitation source(s)
  • CWE weakness mapping (NVD)
  • Public exploit availability
  • Catalogued by microsoft (CNA)
  • Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden

  • No EUVD / GCVE mirror in feed — single-authority dependency for the identifier.
  • EPSS & exposure are time-varying; verify live at the source.
  • Threat-actor attribution not established from feed data — absence of a name is not absence of compromise.
  • No finder/reporter credit recorded in the public CVE entry — the work behind this find is unattributed.
  • Disclosure & credit2
    Catalogued by microsoftCNA
    Credited with finding itNo finder named in the public CVE record — the work behind this find is unattributed.