PowerShellGet
CVE-2020-16886 — PowerShellGet Module WDAC Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability
Executive Summary
A security feature bypass vulnerability exists in the PowerShellGet V2 module. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could bypass WDAC (Windows Defender Application Control) policy and execute arbitrary code on a policy locked-down machine. An attacker must have administrator privileges to create a configuration that includes installing PowerShellGet V2 module onto a machine from the PowerShell Gallery. The WDAC policy must be configured to allow the module to run. After this is done, PowerShell script can be injected and run fully trusted, allowing the attacker arbitrary code execution on the machine. The update addresses the vulnerability by changing how URLs are processed.
Overview
5.3
CVSS MEDIUM
Important
MS Severity
Not Exploited
MS Exploit Status
Less Likely
MS Exploit Likelihood
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L/E:P/RL:O/RC:C
ATTACK VECTOR
Local
ATTACK COMPLEXITY
Low
PRIVILEGES REQUIRED
Low
USER INTERACTION
None
SCOPE
Unchanged
CONFIDENTIALITY
Low
INTEGRITY
Low
AVAILABILITY
Low
EXPLOIT CODE MATURITY
Proof-of-Concept
REMEDIATION LEVEL
Official Fix
REPORT CONFIDENCE
Confirmed
Temporal Score: 4.8
EPSS Score
0.00816
probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
0.53375 percentile - updated 2026-07-25
View on FIRST.org
Affected Products
1 affected product
| Product | KB Article | Severity | Impact | Restart Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PowerShellGet 2.2.5 | Release Notes (Security Update) |
Important | Security Feature Bypass | Maybe |
Patches
1 patch
| Article | Type | Restart |
|---|---|---|
Release Notes |
Security Update | Maybe |
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
None
References
On This Page