Is CVE-2020-37247 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2020-37247 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2020-37247?

High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 16 May 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

Kiteworks Kite 4.2.0.1 U1 and earlier.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-37247?

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-2020-37247 attacked?

It is attacked with local access, in a network appliance.

Am I affected by CVE-2020-37247?

Check whether you run Kiteworks Kite at an affected version. 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.

CVE-2020-37247: Kite KiteService unquoted service path privilege escalation

CVE-2020-37247 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.8 · Published 2026-05-16

Kite is an AI-powered coding assistant used by developers to automate code completion. A security flaw in its Windows service allows a person with limited access to a computer to gain full administrative control (LocalSystem privileges). This could allow an attacker to bypass security restrictions, access sensitive data, or install persistent malware on the affected workstation.

Technologies: Kiteworks Kite. Vendors: Kiteworks.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2020-37247 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2020-37247 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2020-37247?: High severity, with a CVSS score of 7.8, published 16 May 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: Kiteworks Kite 4.2.0.1 U1 and earlier.
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-37247?: 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-2020-37247 attacked?: It is attacked with local access, in a network appliance.
Am I affected by CVE-2020-37247?: Check whether you run Kiteworks Kite at an affected version. 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.

Technical details

The KiteService Windows service in Kite version 4.2.0.1 U1 (and potentially earlier) is configured with an unquoted executable path containing spaces (C:\Program Files\Kite\KiteService.exe). This CWE-428 vulnerability allows a local attacker with write permissions to the parent directories to place a malicious executable (e.g., C:\Program.exe) that Windows will execute instead of the intended service binary. Because the service is configured to run as LocalSystem, the attacker's code will execute with the highest possible privileges on the host. The vendor has ceased operations and discontinued support for the software, meaning a formal patch is unlikely to be released; users should consider manually quoting the service path or uninstalling the application.

Affected products

Kite Kite 4.2.0.1 U1 and earlier

Timeline

2020-11-06: other: Vulnerability discovered by researcher
2021-11-16: other: Vendor (Kite) announced they were ceasing operations and support
2022-07-21: disclosed: Exploit published on Exploit-DB
2026-05-16: advisory: CVE published and NVD record created

References

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