CVE-2020-16856 json
Visual Studio Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
published 2020-09-11 6 y ago modified 2026-06-17 4 mo ago also EUVD-2020-8814
- cvss
- 7.8
- version 3.1, CNA
- cisa kev
- Not listed
- not in CISA's catalog
- epss
- 4.4%
- EPSS 4.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days, percentile 91%
- public exploits
- 0
- none known
Summary
<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Visual Studio when it improperly handles objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.</p> <p>To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would have to convince a user to open a specially crafted file with an affected version of Visual Studio.</p> <p>The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Visual Studio handles objects in memory.</p>
Patch / fix
Exploit prediction
4.37% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 91% of all scored CVEs (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-08).
CVSS scores
| assigned by | version | score | vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | 3.1 | 7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C |
| CNA | 3.1 | 7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVD | 2.0 | 9.3 | AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C |
Affected products
- Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 version 16.7 (includes 16.0 – 16.6)
- Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 version 15.9 (includes 15.0 - 15.8)
- Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 version 16.0
- Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 version 16.4 (includes 16.0 - 16.3)
- Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 Update 5
- Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 Update 5
- Microsoft Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Update 3
References
-
portal.msrc.microsoft.com
/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-16856
patch, vendor-advisory
Sources
- CVE List CVE-2020-16856
- NVD CVE-2020-16856
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