Security assessments indicate that CVE-2020-16855 presents a notable risk, potentially requiring prompt mitigation.
Status: Modified
Last updated: 🕙 31 Dec 2023, 22:15 UTC
Originally published on: 🕔 11 Sep 2020, 17:15 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 1206 days
CVSS Release: version 3
secure@microsoft.com
Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
CVE-2020-16855: <p>An information disclosure vulnerability exists when Microsoft Office software reads out of bound memory due to an uninitialized variable, which could disclose the contents of memory. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could view out of bound memory.</p> <p>Exploitation of the vulnerability requires that a user open a specially crafted file with an affected version of Microsoft Office software.</p> <p>The security update addresses the vulnerability by properly initializing the affected variable.</p>
The exploitability of CVE-2020-16855 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2020-16855 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2020-16855, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2020-16855, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.
EPSS Score: 0.911% (probability of exploit)
EPSS Percentile: 82.99%
(lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 17.010000000000005% of others.
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