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CVE Record

CVE-2020-0986: An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows kernel fails to properly handle objects in...

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows kernel fails to properly handle objects in memory, aka 'Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2020-1237, CVE-2020-1246, CVE-2020-1262, CVE-2020-1264, CVE-2020-1266, CVE-2020-1269, CVE-2020-1273, CVE-2020-1274, CVE-2020-1275, CVE-2020-1276, CVE-2020-1307, CVE-2020-1316.

HighCVSS 7.8Known exploitedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysis

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2020-0986 lets a low-privileged local user gain higher privileges on affected Windows systems. It is not described as remote-only, but it matters because attackers commonly use local privilege escalation after initial access. CISA lists it as known exploited, so unpatched systems should be treated as active risk. Exposure is likely where older or unpatched Windows desktop and server versions from the source list remain in use, including Windows 8.1, Windows 10 builds through 2004, Windows Server 2012 through 2019, and Server Core variants. Treat this as urgent patch debt on Windows endpoints and servers. Because exploitation is confirmed by CISA, focus first on high-value systems, shared servers, and endpoints likely to receive phishing or malware exposure. Mitigation focus: Apply Microsoft security updates identified in the MSRC advisory.; Prioritize systems listed in CISA KEV remediation workflows.; Retire, isolate, or tightly restrict unsupported affected Windows versions..

Prepared

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-787: Exact CWE lookup

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description · low confidence lookup

Privilege behavior lookup

The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2020-0986 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
Yes
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links

CISA KEV status

Status
Known exploited
Source
CISA / ADP
Date added
Not provided

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.8CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.8High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2020-0986Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
MicrosoftWindows10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems, 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems, 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems, 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems, 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems, 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems, 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems, 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems, 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems, 10 for 32-bit Systems, 10 for x64-based Systems, 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems, 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems, 8.1 for 32-bit systems, 8.1 for x64-based systems, RT 8.1Listed
MicrosoftWindows Serverversion 1803 (Core Installation), 2019, 2019 (Core installation), 2016, 2016 (Core installation), 2012, 2012 (Core installation), 2012 R2, 2012 R2 (Core installation)Listed
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 1909 for 32-bit SystemsunspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 1909 for x64-based SystemsunspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 1909 for ARM64-based SystemsunspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows Server, version 1909 (Server Core installation)unspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 1903 for 32-bit SystemsunspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based SystemsunspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 1903 for ARM64-based SystemsunspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows Server, version 1903 (Server Core installation)unspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 2004 for 32-bit SystemsunspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows Server, version 2004 (Server Core installation)unspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 2004 for ARM64-based SystemsunspecifiedListed
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 2004 for x64-based SystemsunspecifiedListed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-787 · source CWE mapping

Out-of-bounds Write

Out-of-bounds Write represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.