CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2020-0951 — Microsoft Powershell security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.2

<p>A security feature bypass vulnerability exists in Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) which could allow an attacker to bypass WDAC enforcement. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could execute PowerShell commands that would be blocked by WDAC.</p> <p>To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker need administrator access on a local machine where PowerShell is running. The attacker could then connect to a PowerShell session and send commands to execute arbitrary code.</p> <p>The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how PowerShell commands are validated when WDAC protection is enabled.</p>

Severity
High
CVSS
7.2 (2.0)
Published
2020-09-11
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
windows/system

Affected products

  • microsoft / powershell
  • microsoft / powershell / 7.0.8
  • microsoft / windows_10 / 1607
  • microsoft / windows_10 / 1709
  • microsoft / windows_10 / 1803
  • microsoft / windows_10 / 1809

Showing 6 representative product identities from 16 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Command, code, expression, and template injection

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
  • Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
  • Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.

Remediate safely

  • Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
  • Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
  • Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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