CVE-2020-11519
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe SDDisk2k.sys driver of WinMagic SecureDoc v8.5 and earlier allows local users to read or write to physical disc sectors via a \\.\SecureDocDevice handle. Exploiting this vulnerability results in privileged code execution.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe SDDisk2k.sys driver in WinMagic SecureDoc v8.5 and earlier exposes an unsecured device handle (\.\SecureDocDevice) that allows local authenticated users to read from and write to physical disk sectors directly. This driver vulnerability enables a local attacker to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level by manipulating disk content or executing code in kernel context.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 8.5CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify if WinMagic SecureDoc is installedCheck for SecureDoc installation directory under Program Files or Program Files (x86), or query the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\WinMagic or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\WinMagic for product information.Affected if SecureDoc is found installed on the system.
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Determine installed SecureDoc versionLocate the SecureDoc version information in the registry (HKLM\SOFTWARE\WinMagic\SecureDoc\Version or similar key) or in the installed program's About/Version dialog, then compare the version number to 8.5.Affected if The installed version is 8.5 or earlier.
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Check for presence of vulnerable SDDisk2k.sys driverSearch for the file SDDisk2k.sys in the SecureDoc installation directory (commonly in a drivers or system subfolder) or in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\.Affected if The file SDDisk2k.sys exists on the system.
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Verify if SDDisk2k.sys driver is loadedRun 'sc query SDDisk2k' or 'driverquery /v | findstr SDDisk2k' from an elevated command prompt to check if the driver is currently loaded in memory.Affected if The driver shows as RUNNING or LOADED.
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Test access to the SecureDoc device handleUse a tool such as Sysinternal's winobj or directly attempt to open \\.\SecureDocDevice from an application or script to verify if the handle is accessible to standard users.Affected if The device handle \\.\SecureDocDevice is successfully opened without administrative privileges, indicating the vulnerability is exploitable.
The system is affected if WinMagic SecureDoc version 8.5 or earlier is installed with the SDDisk2k.sys driver loaded and the unsecured \\.\SecureDocDevice handle accessible to local authenticated users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply vendor patches for SecureDoc v8.5 or later, or disable the vulnerable SDDisk2k.sys driver if not required for disk encryption operations.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-11519 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-11519 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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