Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets a local low-privileged Windows user abuse McAfee Endpoint Security scans to create or delete files they could not normally change. It is timing-dependent, but rated high because successful abuse can damage integrity and availability on affected Windows endpoints.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority endpoint hygiene issue, especially on shared workstations, servers with local user access, or environments where compromised user accounts are plausible. It is not described as remotely exploitable or actively exploited in the provided evidence.
Technical view
CVE-2020-7257 is a symlink-related privilege escalation in McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows 10.x before the 10.7.0 February 2020 Update. During an anti-virus scan, a local user could alter a symbolic-link target and cause unauthorized file deletion or creation. CVSS v3.1 is 8.4, with local access, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, changed scope, and high integrity and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Windows endpoints running McAfee Endpoint Security 10.x below the 10.7.0 February 2020 Update. Remote unauthenticated exposure is not indicated; an attacker needs local low-privileged access.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not state active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Abuse depends on local access and winning a timing condition while an anti-virus scan is in progress.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports a local symlink race affecting file create/delete behavior during scans. The bundle names McAfee ENS for Windows 10.x before 10.7.0 February 2020 Update, CWE-264, and CVSS 8.4. It does not provide exploit availability, indicators of compromise, or detailed detection logic.
Mitigation direction
- Apply McAfee Endpoint Security 10.7.0 February 2020 Update or later.
- Review McAfee bulletin SB10309 for vendor-specific remediation guidance.
- Prioritize endpoints where untrusted users can log in locally.
- Reduce unnecessary local interactive access on affected Windows systems.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Windows endpoints running McAfee Endpoint Security 10.x.
- Confirm installed ENS version and update level against the February 2020 threshold.
- Check vulnerability scanner results for CVE-2020-7257 coverage.
- Review change records for successful deployment of the McAfee update.
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-264: 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 lookupPrivilege 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.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-7257 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
- 8.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe 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:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H25.8Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.4HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10309CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
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.
Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls
Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.