Windows Kernel
CVE-2020-0731 — Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Executive Summary
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in kernel mode. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. 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 update addresses this vulnerability by correcting how Win32k handles objects in memory.
Overview
7.8
CVSS HIGH
Important
MS Severity
Not Exploited
MS Exploit Status
More Likely
MS Exploit Likelihood
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C
ATTACK VECTOR
Local
ATTACK COMPLEXITY
Low
PRIVILEGES REQUIRED
Low
USER INTERACTION
None
SCOPE
Unchanged
CONFIDENTIALITY
High
INTEGRITY
High
AVAILABILITY
High
EXPLOIT CODE MATURITY
Proof-of-Concept
REMEDIATION LEVEL
Official Fix
REPORT CONFIDENCE
Confirmed
Temporal Score: 6.3
EPSS Score
0.01055
probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
0.59953 percentile - updated 2026-06-21
View on FIRST.org
Affected Products
27 affected products
| Product | KB Article | Severity | Impact | Restart Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems | 4537776 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 for x64-based Systems | 4537776 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems | 4537764 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems | 4537764 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems | 4537789 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems | 4537789 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems | 4537789 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems | 4537762 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems | 4537762 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems | 4537762 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems | 4532691 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems | 4532691 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems | 4532691 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1903 for 32-bit Systems | 4532693 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1903 for ARM64-based Systems | 4532693 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based Systems | 4532693 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1909 for 32-bit Systems | 4532693 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1909 for ARM64-based Systems | 4532693 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1909 for x64-based Systems | 4532693 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1 4537820 (Monthly Rollup) 4537813 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534310 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537813 Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 4537820 (Monthly Rollup) 4537813 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534310 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537813 Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems 4537821 (Monthly Rollup) 4537803 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534297 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537821 4537803 4537821 Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems 4537821 (Monthly Rollup) 4537803 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534297 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537821 4537803 4537821 Windows RT 8.1 | 4537821 (Monthly Rollup) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 4537810 (Monthly Rollup) 4537822 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534303 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes None Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation) 4537810 (Monthly Rollup) 4537822 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534303 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes None Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 4537810 (Monthly Rollup) 4537822 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534303 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes None Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation) 4537810 (Monthly Rollup) 4537822 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534303 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes None Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 4537820 (Monthly Rollup) 4537813 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534310 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537813 Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) 4537820 (Monthly Rollup) 4537813 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534310 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537813 Windows Server 2012 4537814 (Monthly Rollup) 4537794 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534283 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537814 4537794 Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) 4537814 (Monthly Rollup) 4537794 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534283 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537814 4537794 Windows Server 2012 R2 4537821 (Monthly Rollup) 4537803 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534297 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537821 4537803 4537821 Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) 4537821 (Monthly Rollup) 4537803 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4534297 Base: 7.0 Temporal: 6.3 Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C Yes 4537821 4537803 4537821 Windows Server 2016 | 4537764 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) | 4537764 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 | 4532691 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) | 4532691 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server, version 1803 (Server Core Installation) | 4537762 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server, version 1903 (Server Core installation) | 4532693 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server, version 1909 (Server Core installation) | 4532693 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
Patches
7 patches
| Article | Type | Restart |
|---|---|---|
4537776 |
Security Update | Yes |
4537764 |
Security Update | Yes |
4537789 |
Security Update | Yes |
4537762 |
Security Update | Yes |
4532691 |
Security Update | Yes |
4532693 |
Security Update | Yes |
4537821 |
Monthly Rollup | Yes |
Known Exploits
No known exploits have been linked for this CVE yet. When available, exploit references will be sourced from public repositories and may be unverified, incomplete, or non-functional. Always review code carefully before use in any environment.
Acknowledgments
References
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