What’s Vulnerable › Vulnerabilities
CVE-2020-0997: Windows Camera Codec Pack Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
- Severity: critical (CVSS 9.3 v2.0)
- Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
- EPSS: 4.9% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
- Public exploit or detection template: none known
- Published: 2020-09-11 · updated 2026-06-17
- Weakness: CWE-787
Description
<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Camera Codec Pack 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>Exploitation of the vulnerability requires that a user open a specially crafted file with an affected version of the Windows Camera Codec Pack. In an email attack scenario, an attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending the specially crafted file to the user and convincing the user to open the file. In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a website (or leverage a compromised website that accepts or hosts user-provided content) containing a specially crafted file designed to exploit the vulnerability. An attacker would have no way to force users to visit the website. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to click a link, typically by way of an enticement in an email or instant message, and then convince them to open the specially crafted file.</p> <p>The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows Camera Codec Pack handles objects in memory.</p>
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607: 1607, 1709, 1803, 1809, 1903, 1909 (+1)
- Microsoft Windows Server 2016: 1903, 1909, 2004
- Microsoft Windows Server 2019: all versions
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1507: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10 1607: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10 1709: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10 1803: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1903 for 32-bit Systems: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1903 for ARM64-based Systems: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based Systems: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10 1909: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows 10 2004: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows Server 2016: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows Server 2019: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows Server, version 1903 (Server Core installation): from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows Server, version 1909 (Server Core installation): from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
- Microsoft Windows Server version 2004: from 10.0.0 before publication — fixed in publication
How to fix
Upgrade to a fixed version: Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1507 publication; Microsoft Windows 10 1607 publication; Microsoft Windows 10 1709 publication; Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems publication; Microsoft Windows 10 1803 publication; Microsoft Windows 10 publication; Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1903 for 32-bit Systems publication; Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1903 for ARM64-based Systems publication; Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based Systems publication; Microsoft Windows 10 1909 publication; Microsoft Windows 10 2004 publication; Microsoft Windows Server 2016 publication. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
References
- https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-0997
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1175/
- https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-0997
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-1175/
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