CVE-2020-1472
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
- 5.5Mediumscored by the publisher (CNA)
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 3 Nov 2021CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 3 May 2022known use in ransomware campaignspublic exploit code
- EPSS
- 99.4%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.1% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 17 Aug 2020analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
- Exploitable
- At runtime
- Attack vector
- local
- Can a WAF block it?
- No. See why
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
| Product | Affected versions | Vendor says fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 | >= 6.1.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) | >= 6.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2012 | >= 6.2.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 | >= 6.3.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) | >= 6.3.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) | >= 6.2.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2016 | >= 10.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) | >= 10.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2019 | >= 10.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) | >= 10.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server, version 1903 (Server Core installation) | >= 10.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server, version 1909 (Server Core installation) | >= 10.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server version 2004 | >= 10.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Windows Server version 20H2 | >= 10.0.0 and < publicationVendor says fixed in: not stated |
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.
Products named in our analysis
- microsoft:windows_server_1903
- microsoft:windows_server_1909
- microsoft:windows_server_2004
- microsoft:windows_server_2008
- microsoft:windows_server_2012
- microsoft:windows_server_2016
- microsoft:windows_server_2019
- microsoft:windows_server_20h2
- fedoraproject:fedora
- opensuse:leap
- canonical:ubuntu_linux
- synology:directory_server
- samba:samba
- debian:debian_linux
- oracle:zfs_storage_appliance_kit
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? No. The attack needs local access to the machine, so a WAF is not on its path.
Also consider: patch
Based on the attack vector (local or physical access). We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 3 Nov 2021. Known use in ransomware campaigns.
- CISA due date
- 3 May 2022, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Public exploit code
- Yes: 1 on Exploit-DB · 1 Metasploit module · 74 GitHub proofs of concept
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable yes, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 30 Jan 2024 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Exploit-DB
- ZeroLogon - Netlogon Elevation of Privilegeremote, 18 Nov 2020
Metasploit
- auxiliary/admin/dcerpc/cve_2020_1472_zerologonauxiliary, rank normal
GitHub proofs of concept
- bvcyber/CVE-2020-14721,839 stars
- dirkjanm/CVE-2020-14721,333 stars
- risksense/zerologon709 stars
- VoidSec/CVE-2020-1472399 stars
and 70 more repositories
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
Timeline
- 12 Aug 2020First public exploit or proof of concept
- 17 Aug 2020Published6 days later
- 3 Nov 2021Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)442 days (about 1 year) later
- 3 May 2022CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)181 days (about 6 months) later
- 30 Jan 2024CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active638 days (about 2 years) later
- 21 Oct 2025CVE record last updated630 days (about 2 years) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | LocalLocal access required (shell, logged-in user). | Local access required (shell, logged-in user). |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | LowThe attacker needs basic user privileges. | The attacker needs basic user privileges. |
| User interaction | NoneNo victim action needed. | No victim action needed. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | NoneNo unauthorised modification. | No unauthorised modification. |
| Availability | NoneThe service stays up. | The service stays up. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2020-1472 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2020-1472 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2020-1472?
CVE-2020-1472 is rated Medium with a CVSS score of 5.5. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2020-1472?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2020-1472. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2020-1472 affect?
CVE-2020-1472 affects microsoft:windows_server_1903, microsoft:windows_server_1909, microsoft:windows_server_2004, microsoft:windows_server_2008, and 11 further products or versions. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
18 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Advisories (10)
- kb.cert.org /vuls/id/490028
- usn.ubuntu.com /4510-1/
- usn.ubuntu.com /4510-2/
- lists.fedoraproject.org /archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/H4OTFBL6YDVFH2
- lists.opensuse.org /opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00080.html
- lists.opensuse.org /opensuse-security-announce/2020-09/msg00086.html
Show 4 more
- lists.fedoraproject.org /archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/TAPQQZZAT4TG3X
- lists.fedoraproject.org /archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ST6X3A2XXYMGD4
- usn.ubuntu.com /4559-1/
- security.gentoo.org /glsa/202012-24
Other links (8)
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com /en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-1472
- openwall.com /lists/oss-security/2020/09/17/2
- lists.debian.org /debian-lts-announce/2020/11/msg00041.html
- oracle.com /security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html
- packetstormsecurity.com /files/159190/Zerologon-Proof-Of-Concept.html
- synology.com /security/advisory/Synology_SA_20_21
Show 2 more
- packetstormsecurity.com /files/160127/Zerologon-Netlogon-Privilege-Escalation.html
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-1472
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Exploit-DB: published exploits
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
- PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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