CVE-2020-12463
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 · uneditedAn elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Avira Software Updater before 2.0.6.27476 due to improperly handling file hard links. This allows local users to obtain take control of arbitrary files.
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 Avira Software Updater before version 2.0.6.27476 improperly handles file hard links, allowing a local authenticated user to manipulate file access and potentially take control of arbitrary files on the system, leading to elevation of privilege.
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< 2.0.6.27476CVSS 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 Avira Software Updater is installedOpen Programs and Features (run 'appwiz.cpl') and look for 'Avira Software Updater' in the list of installed programs, or check the installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Avira\Software Updater\) for the existence of the application filesAffected if Avira Software Updater is not found in the system, the vulnerability does not apply
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Determine installed version of Avira Software UpdaterRight-click the Software Updater executable (SoftwareUpdater.exe) in the installation directory, select Properties, and view the 'Details' tab for the Product Version, or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{ProductID} for the DisplayVersion valueAffected if Unable to determine the version, assume potentially affected
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Compare version against the patched releaseCompare your installed version number to 2.0.6.27476 using numeric version comparison (e.g., 2.0.6.27470 < 2.0.6.27476)Affected if The installed version is less than 2.0.6.27476, the system is vulnerable to hard link manipulation and potential privilege escalation
A system is affected if Avira Software Updater is installed with a version lower than 2.0.6.27476, allowing a local authenticated user to exploit improper hard link handling for file manipulation and privilege escalation.
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 data2.0.6.27476
Update Avira Software Updater to version 2.0.6.27476 or later to patch the hard link handling vulnerability.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-12463 — 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-2020-12463 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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