CVE-2020-17365
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 · uneditedImproper directory permissions in the Hotspot Shield VPN client software for Windows 10.3.0 and earlier may allow an authorized user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. The vulnerability allows a local user to corrupt system files: a local user can create a specially crafted symbolic link to a critical file on the system and overwrite it with privileges of the application.
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 confidenceImproper directory permissions in Hotspot Shield VPN client for Windows (versions 10.3.0 and earlier) allow a local unprivileged user to create symbolic links within the application's directory. By crafting a symlink pointing to a critical system file, the attacker can trigger the application (running with elevated privileges) to overwrite that target file, achieving local privilege escalation.
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<= 10.3.0CVSS 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 Hotspot Shield installationCheck for Hotspot Shield installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Hotspot Shield or C:\Program Files (x86)\Hotspot Shield) or look for the application in Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if Hotspot Shield is installed on the system
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Determine installed versionLocate the Hotspot Shield executable or check version info in Add/Remove Programs. Compare the version number to 10.3.0 or earlierAffected if Installed version is 10.3.0 or earlier
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Check directory permissions on application folderRight-click the Hotspot Shield installation folder, go to Properties > Security tab, and examine the permissions for Users or authenticated users groupAffected if Non-privileged users (such as Users group) have Write or Create Symbolic Link permissions on the application directory
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Verify symlink creation capabilityUsing an unprivileged account, attempt to create a symbolic link within the Hotspot Shield directory using mklink commandAffected if Symbolic links can be successfully created by a non-privileged user in the application directory
User is affected if Hotspot Shield version 10.3.0 or earlier is installed AND the application directory allows non-privileged users to create symbolic links, enabling potential 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 dataApply vendor-supplied patch/update to Hotspot Shield VPN client version 10.3.0 or later; alternatively, restrict filesystem permissions on the application directory to prevent non-privileged users from creating symbolic links or manipulating files.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-17365 — 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-2020-17365 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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