CVE-2020-1187 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows State Repository Service improperly handles objects in memory, aka 'Windows State Repository Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2020-1124, CVE-2020-1131, CVE-2020-1134, CVE-2020-1144, CVE-2020-1184, CVE-2020-1185, CVE-2020-1186, CVE-2020-1188, CVE-2020-1189, CVE-2020-1190, CVE-2020-1191.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/17/2020
The Windows State Repository Service represents a critical component within Microsoft's operating system architecture responsible for managing application state and configuration data across various system services. This service operates with elevated privileges to ensure proper system functionality and maintains sensitive memory objects that track application states, user sessions, and system configurations. The vulnerability arises from improper memory handling mechanisms within this service, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit memory management flaws and escalate their privileges from standard user level to system level access. The affected service processes memory objects without adequate validation or sanitization, allowing crafted inputs to manipulate memory structures in ways that bypass normal security boundaries.
This elevation of privilege vulnerability specifically manifests through memory corruption issues that occur when the Windows State Repository Service processes certain data structures in memory. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and memory management practices that fail to properly handle malformed or unexpected objects within the service's memory space. Attackers can leverage this weakness by constructing specific memory objects that trigger buffer overflows, memory corruption, or other memory-related vulnerabilities within the service's processing pipeline. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of Stack-based Buffer Overflow, which represents a classic memory safety issue where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This type of vulnerability enables attackers to manipulate the service's execution flow and potentially execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with the ability to compromise entire system operations and access sensitive data. Once an attacker achieves system-level privileges through this vulnerability, they can manipulate system configurations, access protected files and registry entries, install malicious software, and potentially establish persistent access to the compromised system. The Windows State Repository Service operates continuously in the background, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited repeatedly without requiring user interaction or system restarts. The vulnerability affects multiple Windows versions including Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019, creating widespread exposure across enterprise environments where these services are actively deployed.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve implementing several layers of security controls and system hardening measures. Microsoft has released security updates that address the memory handling flaws in the Windows State Repository Service, requiring immediate deployment across affected systems. System administrators should implement the principle of least privilege by limiting the service's access rights and monitoring for unusual memory access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and intrusion detection systems can help identify potential exploitation attempts by monitoring for suspicious memory operations or privilege escalation activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management practices in system services and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation'. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies and regular security assessments to identify similar memory-related vulnerabilities in other system services. Additionally, the use of exploit mitigation technologies such as Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and Data Execution Prevention (DEP) can help reduce the effectiveness of exploitation attempts by making memory corruption attacks more difficult to execute successfully.