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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2020-0787

Microsoft Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

Published Mar 12, 2020 · catalog updated Aug 11, 2026 · Microsoft Windows

Patch now

CVE-2020-0787 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Jul 28, 2022. Confirm Microsoft Windows against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Gaps on this record

  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
Severity
High7.8
Known exploitation
CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
42.52%
Remediation
Remediation guidance
Affected products
cpe microsoft/windows 10 1507 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 1607 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 1709 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 1803 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 1809 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 1903

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) improperly handles symbolic links, aka 'Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1507version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1607version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1709version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1803version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1809version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1903version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1909version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 7version unspecified
  • vendor Microsoft Windowsversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2020-0787

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2020-0787 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Jul 28, 2022. Confirm Microsoft Windows against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Which versions are affected?

Affected version ranges are not on this record. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management; CWE-59: Link Following. EPSS 42.52%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. A public exploit reference is linked in Sources. That is not the same as confirmed exploitation. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Technology hubs

Windows security

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Mar 12, 2020 · Catalog

    Detected

    An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) improperly handles symbolic links, aka 'Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.

  2. Jan 28, 2022 · CISA KEV

    Known exploited

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  3. Jul 28, 2022 · CISA KEV

    Remediation due

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  4. Aug 11, 2026 · Catalog

    Updated

    An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) improperly handles symbolic links, aka 'Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.

Sources

  • CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-0787

    Microsoft Windows BITS is vulnerable to to a privilege elevation vulnerability if it improperly handles symbolic links. An actor can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges.

    cisa.gov
  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2020-0787

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2020-0787

    30-day exploitation probability 42.5%

    first.org
  • Metasploit ModulesPublic exploit moduleexploit_windows/local/cve_2020_0787_bits_arbitrary_file_move

    Public module reference (excellent). Module source is not copied into this catalog.

    rapid7.com
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2020-0787

    An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) improperly handles symbolic links, aka 'Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.

    nvd.nist.gov
  • Packet Storm SecurityCited referencehttp://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158056/Background-Intelligent-Transfer-Service-Privilege-Escalation.html

    Packet Storm link already published on the finding.

    packetstormsecurity.com
  • VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-0787

    Microsoft Windows BITS is vulnerable to to a privilege elevation vulnerability if it improperly handles symbolic links. An actor can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges.

    vulncheck.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.