{"id":"CVE-2020-0787","kind":"vulnerability","aliases":["CVE-2020-0787"],"related":[],"title":"Microsoft Windows: Microsoft Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability","description":"Microsoft Windows BITS is vulnerable to to a privilege elevation vulnerability if it improperly handles symbolic links. An actor can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges.\n\nCISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.","summary":"Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) mishandles symbolic links, letting a local user escalate privileges. An attacker who already has a foothold on the machine can run code with SYSTEM privileges.","severity":"high","cvss":7.8,"epss":0.42524,"exploited":true,"exploited_at":"2022-01-28T00:00:00+00:00","products":[{"name":"Microsoft Windows","fixed":[],"affected":"","ecosystem":"vendor"}],"ecosystems":["vendor"],"tags":["exploited","infrastructure","ransomware","self-hosted","windows"],"not_affected_if":["default-config"],"how_to_check":null,"fix":"Apply the Microsoft Windows updates per vendor instructions (CISA required action; the sources do not name the patched build).","status":"open","published_at":"2020-03-12T16:15:15+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T19:11:53+00:00","triaged_at":"2026-10-23T21:28:59+00:00","updated_at":"2026-10-23T21:57:35+00:00","category":"infrastructure","confidence":0.85,"triage":{"at":"2026-10-23T21:28:59Z","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","output":{"fix":"Apply the Microsoft Windows updates per vendor instructions (CISA required action; the sources do not name the patched build).","reach":"local","impact":"high","summary":"Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) mishandles symbolic links, letting a local user escalate privileges. An attacker who already has a foothold on the machine can run code with SYSTEM privileges.","category":"infrastructure","who_cares":["windows","self-hosted"],"confidence":0.85,"needs_auth":"yes","worst_case":"local attacker gains SYSTEM-level code execution on the Windows host","analyst_note":"Exploited in the wild and tagged ransomware per CISA KEV; confirm the patched Windows builds and any detection guidance from the Microsoft advisory for CVE-2020-0787.","how_to_check":"unknown","needs_analyst":true,"not_affected_if":["default-config"],"user_interaction":"no","needs_special_setup":"no","severity_if_unknown":"high"},"cost_usd":0.000463,"input_tokens":2876,"output_tokens":350,"severity_before":"unknown"},"analyst_status":null,"analyst_note":null,"search":"'-0787':16A,19A '-2020':15A,18A 'action':94C 'actor':78C 'alreadi':47B 'appli':95C 'arbitrari':85C 'attack':45B 'background':5A,30B 'bit':9A,34B,62C 'cisa':92C 'code':56B,86C 'cve':14A,17A 'elev':69C 'escal':42B 'execut':84C 'exploit':22B,80C 'foothold':50B 'handl':74C 'host':27B 'improp':10A,73C 'infrastructur':23B 'instruct':99C 'intellig':6A,31B 'let':38B 'level':90C 'link':37B,76C 'local':40B 'machin':53B 'manag':12A 'microsoft':1A,3A,20A,60C 'mishandl':35B 'per':97C 'privileg':11A,43B,59B,68C,91C 'ransomwar':24B 'requir':93C 'run':55B 'self':26B 'self-host':25B 'servic':8A,33B 'symbol':36B,75C 'system':58B,89C 'system-level':88C 'transfer':7A,32B 'updat':96C 'user':41B 'vendor':98C 'vulner':13A,64C,70C,82C 'window':2A,4A,28B,29B,61C 'windows':21A","nicknames":[],"mitigations":[],"who_affected":null,"tier":null,"verified":{},"analyst_revisit_at":null,"first_public_at":"2020-03-12T16:15:15+00:00","kev":{"dateAdded":"2022-01-28","dueDate":"2022-07-28","requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","knownRansomwareCampaignUse":"Known"},"cvss_vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","cvss_by":"nvd@nist.gov","poc_count":0,"sources":[{"source":"kev","external_id":"CVE-2020-0787","url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?search_api_fulltext=CVE-2020-0787","severity":null,"published_at":"2022-01-28T00:00:00+00:00","modified_at":null,"first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T19:11:53+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-25T11:39:17+00:00","note":null},{"source":"epss","external_id":"CVE-2020-0787","url":"https://api.first.org/data/v1/epss?cve=CVE-2020-0787","severity":null,"published_at":null,"modified_at":null,"first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T19:13:44+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-23T19:13:44+00:00","note":null},{"source":"nvd","external_id":"CVE-2020-0787","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-0787","severity":null,"published_at":"2020-03-12T16:15:15+00:00","modified_at":"2026-08-12T05:17:28+00:00","first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T21:57:35+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-10-23T21:57:35+00:00","note":null}],"documents":[],"notice":"Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai"}