CVE-2020-5357
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 · uneditedDell Dock Firmware Update Utilities for Dell Client Consumer and Commercial docking stations contain an Arbitrary File Overwrite vulnerability. The vulnerability is limited to the Dell Dock Firmware Update Utilities during the time window while being executed by an administrator. During this time window, a locally authenticated low-privileged malicious user could exploit this vulnerability by tricking an administrator into overwriting arbitrary files via a symlink attack. The vulnerability does not affect the actual binary payload that the update utility delivers.
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 confidenceDell Dock Firmware Update Utilities contain an arbitrary file overwrite vulnerability exploitable via symlink attack. During the window when the utility runs with administrator privileges, a low-privileged local user could trick an administrator into overwriting arbitrary files on the system. The vulnerability is limited to the update utility itself and does not affect the actual firmware payload delivered.
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< 1.0.8< 1.0.14< 1.0.4< 1.0.10CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/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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Identify if Dell Dock firmware update utility is installedCheck the system for Dell Dock Firmware Update Utility executable or installation directory. Common locations include Program Files/Dell or vendor-specific update tool directories. Look for executables named similarly to 'DellDockUpdateUtility.exe' or check Add/Remove Programs for Dell dock-related utilities.Affected if The Dell Dock Firmware Update Utility is installed on the system
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Identify the Dell dock model in useCheck device manager or system information for connected Dell docking stations. Look for Dell Wd15, Wd19, Tb16, or Tb18dc dock devices listed under 'Universal Serial Bus controllers' or 'Docking Stations'.Affected if A Dell Wd15, Wd19, Tb16, or Tb18dc dock is connected or has been used with the system
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Check the current firmware version of the dockAccess the dock firmware through the Dell Update Utility or check via Windows Device Manager by right-clicking the dock device, selecting Properties, and viewing the firmware version in the Details tab. Compare against the affected version thresholds.Affected if The dock firmware version is below 1.0.8 for Wd15, below 1.0.14 for Wd19, below 1.0.4 for Tb16, or below 1.0.10 for Tb18dc
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Determine if the system is a multi-user environmentReview user accounts on the system. Check if there are multiple local users or if the system joins a domain with multiple users. Identify if untrusted or low-privileged users have local account access.Affected if The system has multiple local users or allows untrusted local users to access the machine while administrators run the update utility
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Check if the update utility runs with elevated privilegesReview the scheduled task or service configuration for the Dell Dock Firmware Update Utility. Check if it is configured to run with administrator or SYSTEM privileges, or observe the privilege level when the utility executes.Affected if The Dell Dock Firmware Update Utility executes with administrator or elevated privileges
A user is affected if they have a Dell Wd15, Wd19, Tb16, or Tb18dc dock with firmware below the specified thresholds AND the Dell Dock Firmware Update Utility is installed AND runs with administrator privileges in a multi-user environment where untrusted local users could place malicious symlinks.
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 data1.0.41.0.81.0.10
Administrators should avoid running the Dell Dock Firmware Update Utility in multi-user environments where untrusted users have local access, or implement additional access controls to prevent symlink-based exploitation during firmware updates.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5357 — 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-2020-5357 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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