Windows Storage Service CVE-2020-1138
HIGHSeverity by source
AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local access and an existing low-privilege account are required; race condition mechanics justify AC:H; full system compromise on success drives C/I/A all High.
Primary rating from NVD.
CVSS VectorNVD
Lifecycle Timeline
4DescriptionNVD
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Storage Service improperly handles file operations, aka 'Windows Storage Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.
AnalysisAI
Elevation of privilege in Windows Storage Service allows a local, low-privileged attacker to gain full system-level access on affected Windows 10 and Windows Server builds. Exploitation requires high attack complexity, meaning the attacker must win a race condition or meet specific timing constraints. No public exploit code or active exploitation via CISA KEV has been identified at time of analysis; however, the CVSS impact triad is High/High/High, making successful exploitation fully compromising. Microsoft has released patches via the standard Patch Tuesday advisory process.
Technical ContextAI
The Windows Storage Service is a core OS component that manages storage-related operations and file system interactions. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of file operations - likely a time-of-check/time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition or insecure object handling pattern, consistent with the High Attack Complexity (AC:H) rating in the CVSS vector. Although CWE is not formally assigned in the NVD record, the privilege escalation via improper file operation handling is characteristic of CWE-362 (Race Condition) or CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access). Affected CPE strings span Windows 10 semi-annual channel releases from version 1709 through 1909, plus Windows Server 2016 (all channel variants) and Windows Server 2019.
RemediationAI
Apply the Microsoft security update released for CVE-2020-1138 via Windows Update, WSUS, or SCCM. The patch is confirmed available per vendor advisory at https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-1138; an exact fixed build version is not independently confirmed from the available NVD data, so administrators should consult the MSRC update guide directly to identify the correct KB article for their Windows version. As a compensating control where patching is not immediately possible, restricting interactive and remote logon rights to only trusted accounts reduces the PR:L attack surface, since exploitation requires an existing low-privileged session. Enforcing least-privilege policies and monitoring for unexpected privilege escalation via Windows Event ID 4672 and 4624 provides detection capability in the interim.
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External POC / Exploit Code
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