CVE-2020-0787
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) improperly handles symbolic…
- 7.8HighCVSS base score
- 42.5%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 1.3% of all CVEs
- YesKnown exploitedin CISA's KEV since 28 Jan 2022
- 1Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
Description
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'.
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as Microsoft Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability.
- Added
- 28 Jan 2022
- Fix due (US federal)
- 28 Jul 2022
- Used by ransomware
- Known
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database lists it as exploited, from CISA's KEV and ENISA's EU KEV, since 28 Jan 2022.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list a Metasploit module for it. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: it is being exploited.
Show the exploits1
Metasploit modules1 module
- Background Intelligent Transfer Service Arbitrary File Move Privilege Elevation Vulnerability (Metasploit module) (opens in a new tab)
exploit/windows/local/cve_2020_0787_bits_arbitrary_file_moveRank excellentdisclosed 10 Mar 2020
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By microsoft
- 4 months later
· 4 months later
Published
- 23 months later
· 23 months later
Added to CISA KEV
Known exploited, also by ransomware
- 5 years later
· 5 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADPADP (enrichment) | 3.1 | High7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | High7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 42.5% · top 1.3% of all CVEs (11 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.8.
Affected products
- affected 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems
- affected 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems
- affected 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems
- affected 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems
- affected 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems
- affected 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems
- affected 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems
- affected 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems
- affected 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems
- affected 10 for 32-bit Systems
- affected 10 for x64-based Systems
- affected 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems
- affected 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems
- affected 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1
- affected 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
- affected 8.1 for 32-bit systems
- affected 8.1 for x64-based systems
- affected RT 8.1
- affected version 1803 (Core Installation)
- affected 2019
- affected 2019 (Core installation)
- affected 2016
- affected 2016 (Core installation)
- affected 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2
- affected 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Core installation)
- affected 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 2
- affected 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2
- affected 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Core installation)
- affected 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 1
- affected 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
- affected 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Core installation)
- affected 2012
- affected 2012 (Core installation)
- affected 2012 R2
- affected 2012 R2 (Core installation)
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1909 for 32-bit Systems
- affected unspecified
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1909 for x64-based Systems
- affected unspecified
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1909 for ARM64-based Systems
- affected unspecified
Microsoft · Windows Server, version 1909 (Server Core installation)
- affected unspecified
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1903 for 32-bit Systems
- affected unspecified
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based Systems
- affected unspecified
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1903 for ARM64-based Systems
- affected unspecified
Microsoft · Windows Server, version 1903 (Server Core installation)
- affected unspecified
References
References3
- https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-0787 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/158056/Background-Intelligent-Transfer-Service-Privilege-Escalation.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-0787 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2020-2274 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2020-0787)Record last updated .