# CVE-2020-1048: Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

> An attacker with local access can exploit the Windows Print Spooler to execute arbitrary code with system privileges, requiring a security patch.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 May 2020
- **Updated:** 19 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mvfv-8xhv-cj53

## What is CVE-2020-1048?

CVE-2020-1048 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10, published on 21 May 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly allows arbitrary writing to the file system. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with elevated system privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would have to log on to an affected system and run a specially crafted script or application.
The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows Print Spooler Component writes to the file system.

Weakness: CWE-669 (Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1048?

It affects 8 products.


Products: Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows 8.1, Microsoft Windows Rt 8.1, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows Server 2012, Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Windows Server 2019.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-1048?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-1048 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-1048 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2020-1048 exists.

Public exploit code:

- POC exploit code for CVE-2020-1048(PrintDemon) (github_poc): https://github.com/shubham0d/CVE-2020-1048
- PoC for CVE-2009-0229 "Print Spooler Read File Vulnerability" LPE AFR (related to CVE-2020-1048) (github_poc): https://github.com/zveriu/CVE-2009-0229-PoC
- An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly allows arbitrary writing to the file system, aka 'Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'. (github_poc): https://github.com/Ken-Abruzzi/CVE-2020-1048
- PrintDemon (CVE-2020-1048) Privilege Escalation (github_poc): https://github.com/talsim/printDemon2system
- Microsoft Spooler Local Privilege Elevation Vulnerability (metasploit)
- spoolsv.exe arb file write poc (github_poc): https://github.com/Y3A/cve-2020-1048

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 10

- [CVE-2015-2426](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2426/): Microsoft Windows Adobe Type Manager Library Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-1769](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-1769/): Microsoft Windows Mount Manager Privilege Escalation (medium 6.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-1467](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1467/): Windows Hard Link Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2021-26424](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-26424/): Windows TCP/IP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2021-28476](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28476/): Windows Hyper-V Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical 9.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-1048 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-1048 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10, published on 21 May 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2020-1048 exists.

Affected product: Microsoft Windows 10. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1048/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1048/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-1048
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1048
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1048

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1048/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.