CVE-2020-1070 Windows Print Spooler Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

High 7.8 Published 21 May 2020 Updated 19 Aug 2026

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

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2020-1070?

CVE-2020-1070 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.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-1070?

It affects 8 products.

Products include Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows 8.1, Microsoft Windows Rt 8.1, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows Server 2012 and 2 more.

How do I fix CVE-2020-1070?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-1070 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Is CVE-2020-1070 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-1070 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Microsoft Windows 10 vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-fhv8-3g95-wgrc.