How severe is CVE-2020-0787?

CVE-2020-0787 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which products are affected by CVE-2020-0787?

CVE-2020-0787 affects the following products: microsoft windows 7, microsoft windows 8.1, microsoft windows 10 1507, microsoft windows 10 1607, microsoft windows 10 1709, microsoft windows 10 1803, microsoft windows 10 1809, microsoft windows 10 1903, and 9 more.

How do I patch CVE-2020-0787?

No patch has shipped for CVE-2020-0787 yet — track the microsoft windows 7 advisory for a fixed release and apply the workarounds below in the meantime.

How do I detect CVE-2020-0787 across my infrastructure?

Inventory every microsoft windows 7 deployment and check each version against the affected-products list above.

How do I mitigate CVE-2020-0787 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands. Alongside that, restrict the management interface to trusted networks and apply the vendor's recommended configuration mitigations.

Is CVE-2020-0787 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 12 known exploit references for CVE-2020-0787, including 9 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2020-0787?

CVE-2020-0787 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 42.5%, placing it in the 99th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

Is CVE-2020-0787 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2020-0787 (Microsoft Windows Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-01-28. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-07-28. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. This CVE has been used in known ransomware campaigns. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2020-0787?

CVE-2020-0787 is classified as CWE-59 (CWE-59). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2020-0787?

CVE-2020-0787 affects microsoft windows 7; microsoft windows 8.1; microsoft windows 10 1507; microsoft windows 10 1607, and 13 more product(s). Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2020-0787?

4 Metasploit modules reference CVE-2020-0787, which lowers the barrier to weaponization. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2020-0787 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-0787 was published on March 12, 2020 and was last updated on August 12, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🛡️

CISA KEV · ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

HIGH severity

CVE-2020-0787 — Windows 7

HIGH

CVE-2020-0787 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.8) CWE-59 vulnerability in microsoft windows 7. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-01-28) and has been used in ransomware campaigns — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

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

Published

Mar 12, 2020

Updated

Aug 12, 2026

Affected

17 products

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

12 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 23, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

Confirmed by CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-01-28 — including use in ransomware campaigns. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2022-07-28.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA (KEV catalog and SSVC triage) for CVE-2020-0787.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

42.5%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

High Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs99th percentile — riskier than 99% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2020-0787 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 394,803 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

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'.

Affected Products

17 products · 19 configurations

windows 7microsoft

all

windows 8.1microsoft

all

windows 10 1507microsoft

all

windows 10 1607microsoft

all

windows 10 1709microsoft

all

windows 10 1803microsoft

all

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.