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CVE-2020-1472

KEVRansomware UseMicrosoft Netlogon Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Microsoft's Netlogon Remote Protocol (MS-NRPC) contains a privilege escalation vulnerability when an attacker establishes a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection to a domain controller. An attacker who successfully exploits the vulnerability could run a specially crafted application on a device on the network. The vulnerability is also known under the moniker of Zerologon.

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when an attacker establishes a vulnerable Netlogon secure channel connection to a domain controller, using the Netlogon Remote Protocol (MS-NRPC). An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run a specially crafted application on a device on the network. To exploit the vulnerability, an unauthenticated attacker would be required to use MS-NRPC to connect to a domain controller to obtain domain administrator access. Microsoft is addressing the vulnerability in a phased two-part rollout. These updates address the vulnerability by modifying how Netlogon handles the usage of Netlogon secure channels. For guidelines on how to manage the changes required for this vulnerability and more information on the phased rollout, see How to manage the changes in Netlogon secure channel connections associated with CVE-2020-1472 (updated September 28, 2020). When the second phase of Windows updates become available in Q1 2021, customers will be notified via a revision to this security vulnerability. If you wish to be notified when these updates are released, we recommend that you register for the security notifications mailer to be alerted of content changes to this advisory. See Microsoft Technical Security Notifications.

CVSS 3.1 vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
PublishedAug 17, 2020
Last modifiedJun 17, 2026
Added to KEVNov 3, 2021
Remediation dueMay 3, 2022
    77
    Risk assessment · High

    Actively exploited and used by ransomware crews. Patch immediately.

    Exploitation
    Confirmed in the wild (CISA KEV)
    Federal remediation deadline
    Overdue by 1637 days
    Ransomware
    Used in known ransomware campaigns
    CVSS
    5.5 MEDIUM
    EPSS (30-day exploit probability)
    99.4% · top 1% of all CVEs
    Weakness
    NVD-CWE-noinfo
    1. 1.Apply updates per vendor instructions.
    2. 2.Treat as emergency change: patch or isolate internet-facing instances first.
    3. 3.Hunt for compromise: review logs for the disclosure window, not just from the patch date.
    4. 4.Verify offline/immutable backups and segment the affected systems. This flaw is used for ransomware initial access.

    Assessment is derived automatically from the live signals above; verify against your own asset inventory.