CVE-2020-16896 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Windows Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Information Disclosure Vulnerability was published on October 16, 2020, by Microsoft.

Understanding CVE-2020-16896

This CVE involves an information disclosure vulnerability in Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) that could allow attackers to obtain sensitive information from the target system.

What is CVE-2020-16896?

The vulnerability occurs when an attacker connects to a system via RDP and sends crafted requests.
Successful exploitation could lead to further compromise of the user's system.

The Impact of CVE-2020-16896

Type: Information Disclosure
Severity: High (CVSS Base Score: 7.5)
Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None
Exploit Code Maturity: Proof of Concept
Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed

Technical Details of CVE-2020-16896

This section provides detailed technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability lies in how RDP handles connection requests.

Affected Systems and Versions

Windows 10 Version 1803, 1809, 1909, 1507, 1607
Windows Server 2019, 2016, 2012 R2
Windows 8.1

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers need to run a specially crafted application against an RDP server to exploit the vulnerability.

Mitigation and Prevention

Learn how to protect your systems from CVE-2020-16896.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the official patch provided by Microsoft.
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activity.
Restrict RDP access to trusted users only.

Long-Term Security Practices

Keep systems updated with the latest security patches.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing.

Patching and Updates

Microsoft has released an update to address the vulnerability in RDP handling connection requests.