CVE-2020-1438: 
vulnerability analysis and mitigation

An elevation of privilege vulnerability (CVE-2020-1438) exists in the way that the Windows Network Connections Service handles objects in memory. This vulnerability was discovered and assigned on November 4, 2019, and affects multiple versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems including Windows 10 and Windows 7 SP1 (NIST NVD, MITRE CVE).

The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with the following vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. This indicates that the vulnerability requires local access, low attack complexity, low privileges, and no user interaction, while potentially impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability at high levels (NIST NVD).

If successfully exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges on affected systems. The high CVSS score indicates that the vulnerability could lead to significant impacts on system confidentiality, integrity, and availability (NIST NVD).

The vulnerability requires local access and low attack complexity to exploit. It is unique from several other related vulnerabilities (CVE-2020-1373, CVE-2020-1390, CVE-2020-1427, CVE-2020-1428) that were addressed in the same timeframe (MITRE CVE).

Microsoft has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Affected users should apply the appropriate patches through Windows Update or Microsoft's security guidance (Microsoft Advisory).