CVE-2020-37129
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 · uneditedMemu Play 7.1.3 contains an insecure folder permissions vulnerability that allows low-privileged users to modify the MemuService.exe executable. Attackers can replace the service executable with a malicious file during system restart to gain SYSTEM-level privileges by exploiting unrestricted file modification permissions.
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 confidenceMemu Play 7.1.3 has insecure folder permissions allowing low-privileged users to modify the MemuService.exe binary. Since this runs as a Windows service with SYSTEM privileges, replacing the executable with a malicious file enables privilege escalation to SYSTEM level upon system restart.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.
-
Verify Memu Play is installedCheck for the presence of the Memu Play installation directory, typically found in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microvirt\Memu or C:\Program Files\Microvirt\MemuAffected if The Memu Play application is installed on the system
-
Confirm installed versionLocate Memu Play version information. Check the installation directory for version files, or right-click MemuService.exe and view Properties > Details for the File VersionAffected if The installed version is 7.1.3 (the affected version per the CVE)
-
Check folder permissions on Memu installation directoryRight-click the Memu installation folder, select Properties > Security tab, then click Advanced. Review the permissions listed for Users and other non-privileged groupsAffected if Users or other low-privileged groups have Write or Modify permissions to the Memu installation folder
-
Check MemuService.exe file permissionsRight-click MemuService.exe in the installation folder, select Properties > Security tab, then view permissions. Alternatively, run 'icacls MemuService.exe' from an elevated command promptAffected if Users or low-privileged groups have Write or Modify permissions on MemuService.exe enabling them to replace the executable
-
Verify service configurationOpen Services console (services.msc), locate MemuService, right-click and select Properties. Confirm it runs under the SYSTEM accountAffected if MemuService is configured to run with SYSTEM or Administrator privileges
A user is affected if Memu Play version 7.1.3 is installed AND non-administrative users have Write or Modify permissions on the Memu installation folder or MemuService.exe file, allowing potential privilege escalation when the service restarts.
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 dataRestrict write permissions on the Memu installation directory and MemuService.exe to only allow Administrators and SYSTEM; if a patched version is available, upgrade to remove the vulnerable configuration.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,880.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-37129 — 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-2020-37129 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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