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NVD / CVE Program· CNA microsoft

CVE-2020-16875: Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Plan (action score 47/100)

  • A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 46.4% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 98.8% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. Administrator privileges are required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.
  • Mentioned 2 times in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).

Add it to your regular patch cycle. Update when a fix is released; follow the vendor's advisory.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Exchange server due to improper validation of cmdlet arguments.</p> <p>An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the System user. Exploitation of the vulnerability requires an authenticated user in a certain Exchange role to be compromised.</p> <p>The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Microsoft Exchange handles cmdlet arguments.</p>

HighCVSS 8.4 · v3.1—Weaponized No fix recorded
Published
Sep 11, 2020
Updated
Jun 16, 2026
EPSS
46.4% · 98th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

47

Plan

Add it to your regular patch cycle.

CVSS
33 / 40 · 8.4 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
14 / 30 · 46.4%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · microsoft
8.4
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • Weaponized exploit exists
  • No fixed version yet

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2020-16875

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
microsoftexchange server

Using exchange server? Add it to your stack and be the first to know about CVEs like this one. (Email server)

Watch new CVEs for exchange server

When you'll hear from us

  • when a new CVE affecting this product is published
  • when a record in your stack enters KEV or gets exploit code

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

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Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

  • Stack alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
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Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • microsoft exchange server2016
  • microsoft exchange server2019

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (microsoft). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 16

    • 15.01.0 and later · before publicationaffected

  • Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2016 Cumulative Update 17

    • 15.01.0 and later · before publicationaffected

  • Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 5

    • 15.02.0 and later · before publicationaffected

  • Microsoft Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Cumulative Update 6

    • 15.02.0 and later · before publicationaffected

Same product

microsoft: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2021-34523Microsoft Exchange Server Elevation of Privilege VulnerabilityKEV
    96Now
  • CVE-2021-34473Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution VulnerabilityKEV
    96Now
  • CVE-2021-26855Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution VulnerabilityKEV
    96Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-0692Feb 11, 2020 · An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Microsoft Exchange Server, aka 'Microsoft Exchange Server Elevation of Privilege Vulnerabi
    33Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2020-0903Mar 12, 2020 · A cross-site-scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists when Microsoft Exchange Server does not properly sanitize a specially crafted web request
    21Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2020-16969Oct 16, 2020 · Microsoft Exchange Information Disclosure Vulnerability
    29Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

  • Metasploit module ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
SourceKindDate
Metasploit moduleexploit/windows/http/exchange_ecp_dlp_policyMicrosoft Exchange Server DlpUtils AddTenantDlpPolicy RCEexploit2021-01-12

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

  1. Published
  2. Metasploit+122 d
  3. TodayNov 9, 2026+2250 d

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)

Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.

All national notices →

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • Administrator privileges are required.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted

Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
High
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
High
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-74 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

Change log

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records