CVE-2020-8103Public exploit

Privilege escalation via quarantine restore symlink substitution

Published Jun 5, 2020 · Updated Sep 16, 2024

Improper link resolution in Bitdefender Antivirus Free before 1.0.17.178 allows local users to overwrite files in privileged locations. The quarantine restore operation runs as SYSTEM and follows an attacker-controlled symbolic link after the original folder is renamed, overwriting the chosen target and changing its DACL. Exploitation requires low-privileged host access and interaction with quarantine and restore; control of a privileged executable enables SYSTEM-level execution.

CVSS severity7.1
High
EPSS probability0.80%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper link resolution in Bitdefender Antivirus Free before 1.0.17.178 allows local users to overwrite files in privileged locations. The quarantine restore operation runs as SYSTEM and follows an attacker-controlled symbolic link after the original folder is renamed, overwriting the chosen target and changing its DACL. Exploitation requires low-privileged host access and interaction with quarantine and restore; control of a privileged executable enables SYSTEM-level execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-8103
Published
Jun 5, 2020
Updated
Sep 16, 2024
Vendor
Bitdefender
Product
Bitdefender Antivirus Free
Classifications
CWE-59, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 5, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 16, 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <1.0.17.178

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Bitdefender · Bitdefender Antivirus Freeversion=unspecified <1.0.17.178

Published CVSS scores

7.1NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
7.2BitdefenderCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
3.6NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P

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.

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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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