CVE-2020-17144
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 · uneditedMicrosoft Exchange Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
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 confidenceThis is a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange Server. An authenticated attacker can exploit specially crafted cmdlets to execute arbitrary code on the affected Exchange server.
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= 2010CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/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 Microsoft Exchange Server is installedCheck for Exchange services via Get-Service *Exchange* or look for Exchange installation path at C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15Affected if No Exchange Server is found on the system, this CVE does not apply
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Determine the installed Exchange Server versionRun Get-ExchangeServer | Format-List Name,AdminDisplayVersion or check the Exchange version in the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExchangeServer\v15\Install\Affected if The version is not Microsoft Exchange Server 2010
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Confirm the installation is Exchange 2010Verify the version number begins with 14 (Exchange 2010 uses build numbers in the 14.x range)Affected if The build number does not start with 14, indicating a different Exchange version
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Check if Remote PowerShell is accessibleVerify the Remote PowerShell virtual directory is enabled by running Get-PowerShellVirtualDirectory -Server <ServerName> in Exchange Management ShellAffected if Remote PowerShell is disabled or not accessible, the attack surface is reduced but the unpatched vulnerability still exists in the code
The system is affected if Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 is installed and has not been patched, regardless of whether Remote PowerShell is currently accessible.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply the available security updates for Microsoft Exchange Server immediately. If patches cannot be applied immediately, restrict access to Exchange services and monitor for indicators of compromise.
Exchange Server 2010 SP3 Update Rollup 22 (KB4588745)
- Download the December 2020 security update for Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (KB4588745), also known as Update Rollup 22 for Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 3.
- Install the update on the Exchange 2010 server following the installation instructions provided in the KB article.
- Restart the Microsoft Exchange services or reboot the server as required to complete the installation.
- Verify the update is installed by checking the installed updates or the Exchange server version (e.g., run Get-ExchangeServer).
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-17144 — 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-2020-17144 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data