CVE-2020-16953 in SharePoint Server
Summary
by MITRE • 10/17/2020
<p>An information disclosure vulnerability exists when Microsoft SharePoint Server fails to properly handle objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could obtain information to further compromise the user’s system.</p> <p>To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would have to log on to an affected system and run a specially crafted application.</p> <p>The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Microsoft SharePoint Server handles objects in memory.</p>
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/25/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-16953 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Microsoft SharePoint Server that stems from improper memory object handling mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of memory corruption issues that can lead to unauthorized data access and system compromise. The flaw specifically manifests when SharePoint Server processes certain memory objects without adequate validation or sanitization, creating opportunities for malicious actors to extract sensitive information from the system's memory space.
This information disclosure vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the memory management functions within SharePoint Server's architecture. The technical implementation flaw allows for memory contents to be exposed to unauthorized processes or users who have authenticated access to the system. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-200: Information Exposure, which encompasses various scenarios where sensitive information is unintentionally exposed to actors who should not have access to it. The vulnerability's exploitation requires a pre-existing authentication context, meaning that an attacker must first establish a valid login session on the affected SharePoint server before executing the malicious payload.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-16953 extends beyond simple information leakage, as the disclosed memory contents could potentially include session tokens, user credentials, application configuration details, or other sensitive data that could facilitate further compromise of the system. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, conduct lateral movement within the network, or establish persistent access to the compromised SharePoint environment. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1005: Data from Local System, where adversaries attempt to gather sensitive information from compromised systems. The vulnerability's exploitation pathway requires the attacker to have legitimate access to the system, making it particularly concerning for environments where insider threats or compromised legitimate accounts are possible.
Microsoft addressed this vulnerability through a security update that modifies the memory handling procedures within SharePoint Server's core components. The fix ensures proper validation and sanitization of memory objects before they are processed or exposed to other system components. Organizations should prioritize applying this update as part of their vulnerability management processes, particularly in environments where SharePoint Server serves as a critical collaboration platform. The remediation approach focuses on strengthening the memory management layer to prevent unauthorized information exposure while maintaining system functionality and performance. Given the nature of information disclosure vulnerabilities, regular security assessments and monitoring of system logs should be implemented to detect potential exploitation attempts and verify successful patch deployment across all affected SharePoint Server instances.