CVE-2020-16973 : Security Advisory and Response

Windows Backup Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability was published on October 13, 2020, affecting various Microsoft Windows versions.

Understanding CVE-2020-16973

This CVE identifies an elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Backup Service.

What is CVE-2020-16973?

An elevation of privilege vulnerability occurs due to improper handling of file operations by the Windows Backup Service.

The Impact of CVE-2020-16973

Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to elevate privileges on the victim system.
Requires prior execution on the victim system to exploit.
The security update addresses this by correcting how the Windows Backup Service handles file operations.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-16973

This section provides technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

Type: Elevation of Privilege
Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability Impact: High
Exploitability: Proof of Concept
Remediation Level: Official Fix
Report Confidence: Confirmed

Affected Systems and Versions

Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows Server 2008 R2, 2016, 2019
Various versions of Windows 10, Server 2016, 2019, and more

Exploitation Mechanism

Attackers need to execute a specially crafted application on the victim system to exploit the vulnerability.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your systems from CVE-2020-16973 with these steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the security update provided by Microsoft.
Monitor for any unusual system behavior.
Restrict user permissions to minimize the impact of potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch your systems.
Implement the principle of least privilege.
Conduct security training for users and IT staff.

Patching and Updates

Ensure all affected systems receive the necessary security patches.