CVE-2020-8469Public exploit

SYSTEM code execution via writable-profile DLL loading

Published Mar 12, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

DLL hijacking in Trend Micro Password Manager for Windows before 5.0.0.1092 allows local users to execute code as SYSTEM. At startup, PwmSvc.exe launches certutil.exe with elevated rights; certutil.exe loads nssckbi.dll from a writable Firefox profile without verifying its signature. Exploitation requires access to place the crafted DLL in the profile and user interaction that triggers the privileged startup path.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.46%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

DLL hijacking in Trend Micro Password Manager for Windows before 5.0.0.1092 allows local users to execute code as SYSTEM. At startup, PwmSvc.exe launches certutil.exe with elevated rights; certutil.exe loads nssckbi.dll from a writable Firefox profile without verifying its signature. Exploitation requires access to place the crafted DLL in the profile and user interaction that triggers the privileged startup path.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-8469
Published
Mar 12, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Trend Micro
Product
Trend Micro Password Manager
Classifications
CWE-427, T1574.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 12, 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?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=5.0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Trend Micro · Trend Micro Password Managerversion=5.0

Published CVSS scores

7.3JPCERT/CCCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.8NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.0JPCERT/CCAV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P
6.9NVDAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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-427Uncontrolled Search Path Element
T1574.001Hijack Execution Flow: DLL

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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