CVE-2020-16851
OneDrive for Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Published Sep 11, 2020
CVSS 3.1 · 7.1 High
EPSS < 1%
KEV · Not listed
Description
<p>An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the OneDrive for Windows Desktop application improperly handles symbolic links. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could overwrite a targeted file with an elevated status.</p>
<p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and delete a targeted file with an elevated status.</p>
<p>The update addresses this vulnerability by correcting where the OneDrive updater performs file writes while running with elevation.</p>
<p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and delete a targeted file with an elevated status.</p>
<p>The update addresses this vulnerability by correcting where the OneDrive updater performs file writes while running with elevation.</p>
Affected Products
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CVE record
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NVD configurations
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Red Hat packages
No data
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OpenCVE enrichment
No data
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | OneDrive for Windows | affected |
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No data.
No data available yet.
Remediation
Tracking
Advisories
| Source | ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
 EUVD |
EUVD-2020-8809 | <p>An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the OneDrive for Windows Desktop application improperly handles symbolic links. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could overwrite a targeted file with an elevated status.</p> <p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and delete a targeted file with an elevated status.</p> <p>The update addresses this vulnerability by correcting where the OneDrive updater performs file writes while running with elevation.</p> |
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0
Attack Vector Local
Attack Complexity Low
Privileges Required Low
Scope Unchanged
Confidentiality Impact None
Integrity Impact High
Availability Impact High
User Interaction None
No CVSS v3.0
Access Vector Local
Access Complexity Low
Authentication None
Confidentiality Impact None
Integrity Impact Partial
Availability Impact Partial
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
Exploit prediction score: < 1% (0.967% probability within 30 days)
Key SSVC decision points have not yet been added.
References
History
Feb 23, 2026 6:15 PM
Description updated
View changes
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | <p>An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the OneDrive for Windows Desktop application improperly handles symbolic links. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could overwrite a targeted file with an elevated status.</p> <p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and delete a targeted file with an elevated status.</p> <p>The update addresses this vulnerability by correcting where the OneDrive updater performs file writes while running with elevation.</p> | <p>An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the OneDrive for Windows Desktop application improperly handles symbolic links. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could overwrite a targeted file with an elevated status.</p> <p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and delete a targeted file with an elevated status.</p> <p>The update addresses this vulnerability by correcting where the OneDrive updater performs file writes while running with elevation.</p> |
Weaknesses
