CVE-2020-17020 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2020-17020
Vulnerability Scoring

3.3
/10
Moderate Risk

Exploiting CVE-2020-17020 requires specific conditions, leading to a moderate security impact.

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity: Low
    Exploits can be performed without significant complexity or special conditions.
  • Attack Vector: Local
    Vulnerability requires local system access.
  • Privileges Required: None
    No privileges are required for exploitation.
  • Scope: Unchanged
    Exploit remains within the originally vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: Required
    User interaction is necessary for successful exploitation.

CVE-2020-17020 Details

Status: Modified

Last updated: 🕖 31 Dec 2023, 19:15 UTC
Originally published on: 🕖 11 Nov 2020, 07:15 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 1145 days

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS3 Source

secure@microsoft.com

CVSS3 Type

Primary

CVSS3 Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CVE-2020-17020 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2020-17020: Microsoft Word Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2020-17020

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2020-17020 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).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2020-17020

With low attack complexity and no required privileges, CVE-2020-17020 is an easy target for cybercriminals. Organizations should prioritize immediate mitigation measures to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Understanding AC and PR

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.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2020-17020, 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.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2020-17020, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: Low
    CVE-2020-17020 could lead to minor leaks of non-critical information without major privacy breaches.
  • Integrity: None
    CVE-2020-17020 poses no threat to data integrity.
  • Availability: None
    CVE-2020-17020 does not impact system availability.

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.

EPSS Score: 0.043% (probability of exploit)

EPSS Percentile: 12.06% (lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 87.94% of others.

CVE-2020-17020 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

NVD-CWE-noinfo

Vulnerable Configurations

  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:365_apps:-:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:365_apps:-:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office:2010:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office:2010:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office:2019:*:*:*:*:-:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:office:2019:*:*:*:*:-:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:word:2010:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:word:2010:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:word:2013:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:word:2013:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:word:2013:sp1:*:*:rt:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:word:2013:sp1:*:*:rt:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:word:2016:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:word:2016:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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