Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This CVE affects Kite on Windows. Its service path is not safely quoted, which can let a local low-privileged attacker place a malicious executable in a searched path and run code with higher privileges. The provided sources do not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for endpoints running Kite because it can turn local access into higher-privileged code execution. Prioritize inventory first; do not assume a patch exists from the provided evidence.
Technical view
CVE-2020-36958 is a CWE-428 unquoted service path issue in KiteService for Kite 1.2020.1119.0. The vulnerable path is reported as C:\Program Files\Kite\KiteService.exe. CVSS v4.0 is 8.5 with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, and high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to Windows systems with Kite installed and the KiteService service present. The affected-version evidence points to Kite 1.2020.1119.0, while the structured affected metadata is incomplete.
Exploitation context
ExploitDB is listed as an exploit reference, so public exploit information exists. However, the source bundle says KEV is false, and no provided source confirms active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
The record is source-limited. Product metadata lists version "0," but the title and advisory identify Kite 1.2020.1119.0. No CPEs are provided. Avoid claiming active exploitation without separate KEV or incident evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory Windows endpoints for Kite and KiteService.
- Check Kite or vendor guidance for a fixed build or removal guidance.
- Uninstall or disable Kite where there is no approved business need.
- Limit local administrative rights while remediation is pending.
- Monitor affected hosts for suspicious service-related execution.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether KiteService exists on Windows endpoints.
- Verify installed Kite version, especially 1.2020.1119.0.
- Review the configured service executable path for unsafe quoting.
- Check whether local users can write to searched path locations.
- Correlate findings with endpoint telemetry for unexpected KiteService activity.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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.
CWE-428: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-36958 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.5 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe 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.
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
8.5HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- ExploitDB-49205CVE reference, VulnCheck · exploit
- Vendor HomepageCVE reference, VulnCheck · product
- VulnCheck Advisory: Kite 1.2020.1119.0 - 'KiteService' Unquoted Service PathCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Unquoted Search Path or Element
Unquoted Search Path or Element represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.