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CVE Record

CVE-2020-17138: Windows Error Reporting Information Disclosure Vulnerability

Windows Error Reporting Information Disclosure Vulnerability

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-17138 is a Windows Error Reporting information disclosure vulnerability. A local low-privileged user could expose sensitive information on affected Windows 10 1607 and Windows Server 2016 systems. It is not a remote takeover issue, but confidentiality impact is high, so legacy Windows fleets should confirm patch coverage.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate-priority legacy Windows confidentiality issue. It is not described as remotely exploitable, but affected systems can expose sensitive information to a local low-privileged user. Patch verification is the main business action.

Technical view

The CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, scored 5.5. The affected products listed are Windows 10 Version 1607, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2016 Server Core at 10.0.14393.0. Microsoft published vendor guidance and patch references.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in organizations still running Windows 10 Version 1607 or Windows Server 2016, including Server Core. Systems require local access by a low-privileged user for the described impact, so shared servers, VDI, and multi-user endpoints deserve attention.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates local exploitation with low privileges and no user interaction. Public details are sparse, so do not assume exploit availability beyond the published vulnerability metadata.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to terse CVE/MSRC metadata. No CWE, root-cause detail, or exploit narrative is provided in the bundle. Research should focus on asset/version exposure, patch state, and whether local low-privileged access exists on affected systems.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply Microsoft security updates for affected Windows 10 1607 and Server 2016 systems.
  • Prioritize shared, multi-user, and internet-managed legacy Windows hosts.
  • Confirm Server Core installations are included in patch compliance scope.
  • If patching is delayed, check Microsoft guidance for supported compensating controls.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Windows 10 1607 and Windows Server 2016 assets.
  • Compare installed build and patch levels against Microsoft advisory data.
  • Verify vulnerability scanner findings map specifically to CVE-2020-17138.
  • Check shared systems for unnecessary local user access.
  • Track exceptions until Microsoft updates are applied or vendor guidance changes.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

Public sources used

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

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2020-17138 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

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
3Timeline events
2ADP providers
3Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

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
5.5CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C1.83.6microsoft

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.5Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2020-17138Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

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

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CVECVE Program Container
CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
MicrosoftWindows 10 Version 160710.0.14393.0Listed
MicrosoftWindows Server 201610.0.14393.0Listed
MicrosoftWindows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)10.0.14393.0Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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