CVE-2020-17156 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Visual Studio Remote Code Execution Vulnerability was published on December 9, 2020, with a CVSS base score of 7.8.

Understanding CVE-2020-17156

This CVE involves a Remote Code Execution vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio.

What is CVE-2020-17156?

The CVE-2020-17156 is a Remote Code Execution vulnerability affecting Microsoft Visual Studio.

The Impact of CVE-2020-17156

The vulnerability has a base severity of HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.8, indicating a significant risk of exploitation.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-17156

This section provides more technical insights into the CVE.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

Affected Systems and Versions

Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 version 15.9 (includes 15.0 - 15.8)
Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 version 16.0
Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 version 16.4 (includes 16.0 - 16.3)
Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 version 16.8
Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 version 16.7 (includes 16.0 – 16.6)

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely by attackers to execute malicious code on the affected systems.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protect your systems from CVE-2020-17156 with these steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the necessary security updates provided by Microsoft.
Monitor for any unusual activities on the network.
Implement strong network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software and applications.
Conduct security training for employees to recognize and report suspicious activities.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that all affected systems are updated with the latest security patches from Microsoft.