CVE-2020-10665Public exploit

SYSTEM privilege escalation via diagnostic hardlink overwrite

Published Mar 18, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Privilege escalation in affected Docker Desktop for Windows releases allows local users to gain NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM access via diagnostics. The privileged diagnostics collector creates a ZIP file in a docker-users-controlled folder and applies permissive DACLs without rejecting attacker-planted hardlinks to protected files. Membership in docker-users and repeated GUI diagnostics collection are required; control of a target system DLL enables code execution as SYSTEM.

CVSS severity6.7
Medium
EPSS probability1.44%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in affected Docker Desktop for Windows releases allows local users to gain NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM access via diagnostics. The privileged diagnostics collector creates a ZIP file in a docker-users-controlled folder and applies permissive DACLs without rejecting attacker-planted hardlinks to protected files. Membership in docker-users and repeated GUI diagnostics collection are required; control of a target system DLL enables code execution as SYSTEM.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-10665
Published
Mar 18, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-59, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 18, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.2NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
6.7NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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