Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2020-0638

Microsoft Update Notification Manager Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Published Jan 14, 2020 · catalog updated Aug 11, 2026 · Microsoft Update Notification Manager

Patch now

CVE-2020-0638 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Jun 13, 2022. Confirm Microsoft Update Notification Manager against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Gaps on this record

  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
Severity
High7.8
Known exploitation
CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
2.37%
Remediation
Remediation guidance
Affected products
cpe microsoft/windows 10 1709 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 1803 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 1809 · cpe microsoft/windows 10 1903 · vendor Microsoft Update Notification Manager

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the way the Update Notification Manager handles files.To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to gain execution on the victim system, aka 'Update Notification Manager Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1709version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1803version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1809version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 10 1903version unspecified
  • vendor Microsoft Update Notification Managerversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2020-0638

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2020-0638 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Jun 13, 2022. Confirm Microsoft Update Notification Manager against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Which versions are affected?

Affected version ranges are not on this record. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-59: Link Following. EPSS 2.37%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Technology hubs

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. Jan 14, 2020 · Catalog

    Detected

    An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the way the Update Notification Manager handles files.To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to gain execution on the victim system, aka 'Update Notification Manager Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.

  2. May 23, 2022 · CISA KEV

    Known exploited

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  3. Jun 13, 2022 · CISA KEV

    Remediation due

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  4. Aug 11, 2026 · Catalog

    Updated

    An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the way the Update Notification Manager handles files.To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to gain execution on the victim system, aka 'Update Notification Manager Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.

Sources

  • CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-0638

    Microsoft Update Notification Manager contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.

    cisa.gov
  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2020-0638

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2020-0638

    30-day exploitation probability 2.4%

    first.org
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2020-0638

    An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the way the Update Notification Manager handles files.To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to gain execution on the victim system, aka 'Update Notification Manager Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'.

    nvd.nist.gov
  • VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2020-0638

    Microsoft Update Notification Manager contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.

    vulncheck.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.