# CVE-2020-0683: Microsoft Windows Installer Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2020-0683-microsoft-windows-installer-privilege-escalation-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2021-11-03. Updated: 2026-05-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2020-0683 · Severity: critical · CVSS 7.8 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2021-11-03

Microsoft Windows Installer contains an elevation of privilege vulnerability when MSI packages improperly process symbolic links. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can bypass access restrictions to add or remove files with elevated permissions.

Technologies: [Microsoft Windows](https://junglewise.ai/threats/technologies/windows). Vendors: [Microsoft](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/microsoft).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2020-0683 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2020-0683 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 3 November 2021. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2020-0683?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 3 November 2021.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Microsoft Windows 10 1507, 1607, 1709, 1803, 1809, 1903, 1909; Microsoft Windows 7 SP1; Microsoft Windows 8.1; Microsoft Windows RT 8.1; and 4 more.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2020-0683?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2020-0683 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in an operating system.

**Am I affected by CVE-2020-0683?** Check whether you run Microsoft Windows. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Affected products

- Microsoft Windows 10 1507, 1607, 1709, 1803, 1809, 1903, 1909
- Microsoft Windows 7 SP1
- Microsoft Windows 8.1
- Microsoft Windows RT 8.1
- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2, R2 SP1
- Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
- Microsoft Windows Server 2016 1803, 1903, 1909
- Microsoft Windows Server 2019

## Timeline

- 2020-02-11: disclosed: MSRC advisory published date (implied by CVE year and patch cycle)
- 2021-11-03: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
- 2021-11-03: disclosed: NVD publication date
- 2021-11-03: exploited: Confirmed as exploited in the wild by CISA

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- [Microsoft Windows USM Communication Manager null pointer dereference](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-97000-null-pointer-dereference-in-windows-usm-communication-manager)
- [Microsoft Windows Winsock use after free privilege escalation](https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2026-96994-use-after-free-in-winsock-allows-an-authorized-attacker-to)