---
id: CVE-2020-1143
title: >-
  An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Windows
  kernel-mode driver fails to properly handle objects in memory
summary: >-
  An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Windows
  kernel-mode driver fails to properly handle objects in memory. An attacker who
  successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in kernel
  mode. …
severity: high
cvss: 7
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
vendor: microsoft
product: windows_10
affected:
  - windows_10
  - windows_10 = 1607
  - windows_10 = 1709
  - windows_10 = 1803
  - windows_10 = 1809
  - windows_10 = 1903
  - windows_10 = 1909
  - windows_7
  - windows_8.1
  - windows_rt_8.1
  - windows_server_2008
  - windows_server_2008 = r2
  - windows_server_2012
  - windows_server_2012 = r2
  - windows_server_2016
  - windows_server_2019
published: '2020-05-21'
updated: '2026-08-19'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-1143'
references:
  - url: 'https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2020-1143'
    label: secure@microsoft.com
  - url: >-
      https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2020-1143
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.01072
epssPercentile: 0.63401
ingestedAt: '2026-08-19T17:42:39.226Z'
---

## Overview

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Windows kernel-mode driver fails to properly handle objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in kernel mode. 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 first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and take control of an affected system.
The update addresses this vulnerability by correcting how the Windows kernel-mode driver handles objects in memory.

## Affected

- `windows_10`
- `windows_10 = 1607`
- `windows_10 = 1709`
- `windows_10 = 1803`
- `windows_10 = 1809`
- `windows_10 = 1903`
- `windows_10 = 1909`
- `windows_7`
- `windows_8.1`
- `windows_rt_8.1`
- `windows_server_2008`
- `windows_server_2008 = r2`
- `windows_server_2012`
- `windows_server_2012 = r2`
- `windows_server_2016`
- `windows_server_2019`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.