CVE-2020-25044
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 · uneditedKaspersky Virus Removal Tool (KVRT) prior to 15.0.23.0 was vulnerable to arbitrary file corruption that could provide an attacker with the opportunity to eliminate content of any file in the system.
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 confidenceKaspersky Virus Removal Tool prior to version 15.0.23.0 contained a vulnerability allowing arbitrary file corruption, enabling an attacker to delete or corrupt any file on the system. The vulnerability likely stems from insufficient validation of operations performed by KVRT, potentially through manipulation of its scanning or remediation processes.
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< 15.0.23.0CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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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Locate the KVRT executableSearch for executable files named 'KVRT.exe', 'kavremover.exe', or similar Kaspersky removal tool binaries in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Kaspersky Lab, C:\Program Files (x86)\Kaspersky Lab, or the user's Downloads folder. Use PowerShell command: Get-ChildItem -Path 'C:\Program Files','C:\Program Files (x86)',$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads -Filter '*.exe' -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Where-Object {$_.Name -like '*KVRT*' -or $_.Name -like '*kavrem*' -or $_.Name -like '*VirusRemoval*'}.Affected if The executable exists on the system and its version is below 15.0.23.0
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Determine the installed versionRight-click the located KVRT executable, select Properties, then navigate to the Details tab to view the 'Product version' or 'File version' field. Alternatively, use PowerShell: (Get-Item 'C:\path\to\KVRT.exe').VersionInfo to retrieve version information.Affected if The reported version number is less than 15.0.23.0 (for example, 15.0.22.0, 15.0.21.0, or earlier)
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Check if KVRT is currently runningOpen Task Manager or use PowerShell command: Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.ProcessName -like '*KVRT*' -or $_.ProcessName -like '*Kaspersky*'} to check for active KVRT processes.Affected if KVRT is actively running and its version is confirmed below 15.0.23.0, making the arbitrary file corruption vulnerability exploitable in the current session
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Review KVRT log files for version confirmationCheck for KVRT log files in the same directory as the executable or in %TEMP%\Kaspersky Lab\KVRT for runtime logs that typically contain version information at startup. Use: Get-ChildItem -Path $env:TEMP,'C:\Program Files\Kaspersky Lab' -Filter '*KVRT*.log' -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue.Affected if Logs confirm a version prior to 15.0.23.0, validating the vulnerable installation
The system is affected if Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool is installed with a version lower than 15.0.23.0, as this version range contains the arbitrary file corruption vulnerability.
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 data15.0.23.0
Update Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool to version 15.0.23.0 or later to remediate the vulnerability. As a local privilege escalation/file corruption issue, ensure the tool runs with appropriate access controls post-update.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-25044 — 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-2020-25044 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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