CVE-2020-1491: 
vulnerability analysis and mitigation

An elevation of privilege vulnerability (CVE-2020-1491) exists in the way that the Windows Function Discovery Service handles objects in memory. The vulnerability was initially recorded on November 4, 2019, and was publicly disclosed in September 2020. This vulnerability affects multiple versions of Microsoft Windows, including Windows 10 (various versions from 1607 to 2004) and Windows 7 SP1 (NVD).

The vulnerability is related to how the Windows Function Discovery Service processes objects in memory. It has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH), with a vector string of CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Under CVSS v2.0, it received a base score of 4.6 (MEDIUM) with a vector string of (AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P) (NVD).

If successfully exploited, this vulnerability allows an attacker to execute code with elevated permissions, potentially gaining higher privileges on the affected system (MITRE CVE).

To exploit this vulnerability, a locally authenticated attacker would need to run a specially crafted application. The attack requires local access and low privilege levels to execute (NVD).

Microsoft has released a security update that addresses this vulnerability by ensuring the Windows Function Discovery Service properly handles objects in memory (MSRC Advisory).