Windows Kernel
CVE-2020-0956 — Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Executive Summary
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Windows kernel-mode driver 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 the Windows kernel-mode driver 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
0.00856
probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
0.53598 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 | 4550930 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 for x64-based Systems | 4550930 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems | 4550929 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems | 4550929 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems | 4550927 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems | 4550927 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems | 4550927 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems | 4550922 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems | 4550922 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems | 4550922 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems | 4549949 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems | 4549949 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems | 4549949 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1903 for 32-bit Systems | 4549951 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1903 for ARM64-based Systems | 4549951 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based Systems | 4549951 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1909 for 32-bit Systems | 4549951 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1909 for ARM64-based Systems | 4549951 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1909 for x64-based Systems | 4549951 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1 4550964 (Monthly Rollup) 4550965 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4540688 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 4550964 4550965 Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 4550964 (Monthly Rollup) 4550965 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4540688 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 4550964 4550965 Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems 4550961 (Monthly Rollup) 4550970 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541509 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 4550961 4550970 Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems 4550961 (Monthly Rollup) 4550970 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541509 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 4550961 4550970 Windows RT 8.1 | 4550961 (Monthly Rollup) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 4550951 (Monthly Rollup) 4550957 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541506 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 4550951 4550957 Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation) 4550951 (Monthly Rollup) 4550957 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541506 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 4550951 4550957 Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 4550951 (Monthly Rollup) 4550957 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541506 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 4550951 4550957 Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation) 4550951 (Monthly Rollup) 4550957 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541506 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 4550951 4550957 Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 4550964 (Monthly Rollup) 4550965 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4540688 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 4550964 4550965 Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) 4550964 (Monthly Rollup) 4550965 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4540688 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 4550964 4550965 Windows Server 2012 4550917 (Monthly Rollup) 4550971 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541510 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 4550917 4550971 Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) 4550917 (Monthly Rollup) 4550971 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541510 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 4550917 4550971 Windows Server 2012 R2 4550961 (Monthly Rollup) 4550970 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541509 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 4550961 4550970 Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) 4550961 (Monthly Rollup) 4550970 (Security Only) Important Elevation of Privilege 4541509 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 4550961 4550970 Windows Server 2016 | 4550929 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) | 4550929 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 | 4549949 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) | 4549949 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server, version 1803 (Server Core Installation) | 4550922 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server, version 1903 (Server Core installation) | 4549951 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
| Windows Server, version 1909 (Server Core installation) | 4549951 (Security Update) |
Important | Elevation of Privilege | Yes |
Patches
7 patches
| Article | Type | Restart |
|---|---|---|
4550930 |
Security Update | Yes |
4550929 |
Security Update | Yes |
4550927 |
Security Update | Yes |
4550922 |
Security Update | Yes |
4549949 |
Security Update | Yes |
4549951 |
Security Update | Yes |
4550961 |
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
On This Page