Elevated code execution via in-memory object handling
Published May 21, 2020 · Updated Aug 19, 2026
Windows Runtime elevation of privilege in Microsoft Windows releases before the May 2020 update allows local users to run arbitrary code in an elevated context. Windows Runtime improperly handles objects in memory when processing a specially crafted application, enabling privilege escalation. Exploitation requires local execution of the crafted application; the resulting process gains elevated code-execution capability.
Summary
What happened
Windows Runtime elevation of privilege in Microsoft Windows releases before the May 2020 update allows local users to run arbitrary code in an elevated context. Windows Runtime improperly handles objects in memory when processing a specially crafted application, enabling privilege escalation. Exploitation requires local execution of the crafted application; the resulting process gains elevated code-execution capability.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2020-1155
- Published
- May 21, 2020
- Updated
- Aug 19, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2019
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 21, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 19, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.17763.0 <publication
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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