{"id":"CVE-2020-1054","published":"2020-05-21T23:15:12Z","modified":"2026-10-08T10:36:00Z","title":"Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability","vendor":"Microsoft","product":"Win32k","tier":"core","eol":null,"description":{"text":"An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Windows kernel-mode driver fails to properly handle objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in kernel mode. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.\nTo exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and take control of an affected system.\nThe update addresses this vulnerability by correcting how the Windows kernel-mode driver handles objects in memory.","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"summary":{"text":"The Win32k kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows fails to properly handle objects in memory, allowing privilege escalation. An attacker who is already logged on locally can run a specially crafted application to exploit it and execute arbitrary code in kernel mode, gaining full control of the affected system.","provenance":"ai","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","generatedAt":"2026-10-23T07:11:17Z"},"cvss":{"score":7.0,"severity":"HIGH","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"epss":{"score":0.53878,"percentile":0.98996,"date":"2026-10-28","provenance":"source"},"kev":{"dateAdded":"2021-11-03","dueDate":"2022-05-03","ransomware":false,"requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","notes":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1054","provenance":"source"},"vulncheckKev":{"dateAdded":"2020-10-19","exploitedFirstSeen":"2020-10-19","ransomware":false,"evidence":[{"url":"https://www.sentinelone.com/labs/purple-fox-ek-new-cves-steganography-and-virtualization-added-to-attack-flow/","date":"2020-10-19"},{"url":"https://threatresearch.ext.hp.com/purple-fox-exploit-kit-now-exploits-cve-2021-26411/","date":"2021-04-14"},{"url":"https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/21/j/purplefox-adds-new-backdoor-that-uses-websockets.html","date":"2021-10-19"},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json","date":"2021-11-03"},{"url":"https://decoded.avast.io/janvojtesek/raspberry-robins-roshtyak-a-little-lesson-in-trickery/","date":"2022-09-22"},{"url":"https://research.checkpoint.com/2023/raspberry-robin-anti-evasion-how-to-exploit-analysis/","date":"2023-04-18"}],"evidenceTotal":6,"provenance":"source"},"exploited":true,"otx":{"pulseCount":50,"pulses":[{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 29, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae20c1db17e7057ae7d9ad1","created":"2026-10-28"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 28, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae0ba7e0e2a97ff7b218819","created":"2026-10-27"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 27, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adf68b85c3e852f3c111d18","created":"2026-10-26"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 24, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adb740e397c3ad4799aa4cd","created":"2026-10-23"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 23, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ada236fcfba2dfa730ea482","created":"2026-10-22"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 22, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad8d33a077cbb5cab524d80","created":"2026-10-21"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 21, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad78130c4d1ac2be83a8b6d","created":"2026-10-20"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 20, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad62f63c24a405a3423cc13","created":"2026-10-19"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 19, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad4dda174e5797d0bd238b7","created":"2026-10-18"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 18, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad38c22e1848f8189d1c121","created":"2026-10-17"}],"provenance":"machine"},"cwes":[{"id":"CWE-787","name":"Out-of-bounds Write"}],"references":[{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1054","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160515/Microsoft-Windows-DrawIconEx-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-1054","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-1054","tags":["US Government Resource"]}],"techniques":[{"id":"T1078","name":"Valid Accounts","tactics":["initial-access","persistence","privilege-escalation","stealth"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: attacker needs prior valid logon","mappingType":"exploitation_technique","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"an attacker would first have to log on to the system","start":385,"end":437}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"},{"id":"T1068","name":"Exploitation for Privilege Escalation","tactics":["privilege-escalation"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: kernel memory flaw yields privilege escalation","mappingType":"primary_impact","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"the Windows kernel-mode driver fails to properly handle objects in memory","start":63,"end":136}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"}],"reports":[],"affected":[],"advisories":[],"euvd":{"id":"EUVD-2020-11947","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2020-11947","exploited":true,"exploitedSince":"2021-11-03","provenance":"source"},"exploits":[],"exploitSources":{"pocGithub":{"count":4,"skipped":0,"earliest":"2020-06-16","earliestUrl":"https://github.com/0xeb-bp/cve-2020-1054","repos":[{"name":"0xeb-bp/cve-2020-1054","url":"https://github.com/0xeb-bp/cve-2020-1054","stars":87,"created":"2020-06-16"},{"name":"KaLendsi/CVE-2020-1054","url":"https://github.com/KaLendsi/CVE-2020-1054","stars":20,"created":"2020-07-25"},{"name":"Iamgublin/CVE-2020-1054","url":"https://github.com/Iamgublin/CVE-2020-1054","stars":4,"created":"2020-07-19"},{"name":"Graham382/CVE-2020-1054","url":"https://github.com/Graham382/CVE-2020-1054","stars":0,"created":"2020-10-28"}]},"metasploit":[{"name":"Microsoft Windows DrawIconEx OOB Write Local Privilege Elevation","module":"exploit/windows/local/cve_2020_1054_drawiconex_lpe","type":"exploit","disclosureDate":"2020-02-20","url":"https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/local/cve_2020_1054_drawiconex_lpe.rb"}],"first":{"date":"2020-02-20","source":"Metasploit","url":"https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/local/cve_2020_1054_drawiconex_lpe.rb"},"provenance":"source"},"exploitRefs":["http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160515/Microsoft-Windows-DrawIconEx-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html"],"flow":[{"stage":"exploitation","techniques":["T1078"],"provenance":"ai"},{"stage":"primary","techniques":["T1068"],"provenance":"ai"}],"timeline":[{"date":"2020-02-20","kind":"exploit-public","label":"First public exploit: Metasploit; later: PoC-in-GitHub 2020-06-16","url":"https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/local/cve_2020_1054_drawiconex_lpe.rb","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2020-05-21","kind":"published","label":"Published (NVD)","url":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1054","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2020-10-19","kind":"exploited-reported","label":"Exploitation first reported (VulnCheck KEV evidence)","url":"https://www.sentinelone.com/labs/purple-fox-ek-new-cves-steganography-and-virtualization-added-to-attack-flow/","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2021-11-03","kind":"kev","label":"Added to CISA KEV","url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog","provenance":"source"},{"date":"2021-11-03","kind":"euvd-exploited","label":"ENISA EUVD: exploited","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2020-11947","provenance":"source"}],"speed":{"daysToPublicExploit":null,"firstExploitFrom":"Metasploit","daysToKev":531},"priority":{"score":67.7,"factors":[{"name":"In a KEV catalog","points":35.0,"detail":"listed in CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV"},{"name":"Recent KEV listing","points":0.0,"detail":"added 2201 days ago"},{"name":"Known ransomware use","points":0.0,"detail":"not known"},{"name":"EPSS percentile","points":19.8,"detail":"percentile 0.9900"},{"name":"Named in threat reports","points":0.0,"detail":"0 reports"},{"name":"Public exploit code","points":5.0,"detail":"1 NVD reference tagged Exploit; 4 PoC-in-GitHub repos; 1 Metasploit module"},{"name":"Mentioned in OTX pulses","points":3.0,"detail":"50 pulses"},{"name":"CVSS severity","points":4.9,"detail":"base score 7.0"},{"name":"End-of-life product","points":0.0,"detail":"supported or unknown"}]},"lineage":{"familyId":"fam-class-microsoft-windows-cwe-787"}}