CVE-2020-1383 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
An information disclosure vulnerability exists in RPC if the server has Routing and Remote Access enabled. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could obtain information to further compromise the user’s system To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to run a specially crafted application against an RPC server which has Routing and Remote Access enabled. Routing and Remote Access is a non-default configuration; systems without it enabled are not vulnerable. The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Routing and Remote Access service handles requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/23/2026
The CVE-2020-1383 vulnerability represents a critical information disclosure flaw within the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) infrastructure when the Routing and Remote Access service is active on Windows systems. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of information exposure issues that can significantly compromise system security posture. The flaw specifically targets the interaction between RPC services and the Routing and Remote Access functionality, creating an attack surface that adversaries can exploit to gather sensitive system information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of RPC requests within the Routing and Remote Access service component. When this service is enabled, it processes incoming RPC communications in a manner that inadvertently exposes internal system details to unauthenticated or unauthorized users. The vulnerability manifests through specially crafted applications that can probe the RPC server's response handling mechanisms, extracting information about the system's configuration, network topology, and potentially sensitive operational parameters. This information disclosure can include details about network interfaces, routing tables, and other system metadata that would typically remain protected within a properly secured environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-1383 extends beyond simple information gathering, as the leaked data can serve as a foundation for more sophisticated attacks. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can use the gathered information to map network infrastructure, identify system vulnerabilities, and plan subsequent compromise phases. The vulnerability's exploitation requires specific conditions, including the presence of Routing and Remote Access service, which makes it less common but no less dangerous when present. This characteristic aligns with ATT&CK framework concept of privilege escalation and reconnaissance, where initial information gathering directly supports more advanced attack vectors. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-200 (Information Exposure) underscores its fundamental nature as a data leakage issue that can enable cascading security failures.
Systems without the Routing and Remote Access service enabled remain completely immune to this particular vulnerability, making the attack surface highly specific and conditional. This characteristic makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where multiple services are running, as administrators may not be aware of the specific configuration that exposes systems to this risk. The security update provided by Microsoft addresses the core issue by modifying the request handling logic within the Routing and Remote Access service to properly sanitize and validate RPC communication inputs. This remediation approach follows standard security practices for information disclosure vulnerabilities, focusing on input validation and proper access control mechanisms. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and access controls as additional defensive measures, particularly in environments where the Routing and Remote Access service must remain enabled for legitimate business purposes. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and configuration reviews to identify and remediate potential exposure points within complex network infrastructures.