CVE-2020-6012
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 · uneditedZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware before version 1.0.713 copies files for the report from a directory with low privileges. A sophisticated timed attacker can replace those files with malicious or linked content, such as exploiting CVE-2020-0896 on unpatched systems or using symbolic links. This allows an unprivileged user to enable escalation of privilege via local access.
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 confidenceZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware before version 1.0.713 contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability where the application copies report files from a directory with low privileges. A local attacker with timing capability can replace these files with malicious content or symbolic links before the application processes them, leveraging CVE-2020-0896 on unpatched Windows systems or directly using symlink attacks to gain elevated privileges.
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< 1.0.713CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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.
-
Check if ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware is installedOpen Windows Programs and Features and look for 'ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware' or 'Checkpoint ZoneAlarm Anti Ransomware' in the list of installed programs. Alternatively, check for the presence of the program directory under C:\Program Files\CheckPoint\ or look for the zaRANSOMWARE.exe executable.Affected if If the software is present on the system, proceed to version verification
-
Determine the installed version numberIn Programs and Features, locate the ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware entry and note the version number shown in the column. Or right-click on the zaRANSOMWARE.exe file in the installation directory, select Properties, and view the version number on the Details tab.Affected if The version number will be displayed in Programs and Features or in the file Properties Details section
-
Compare version against vulnerable thresholdCompare your installed version to the affected range: any version lower than 1.0.713 is vulnerable. For example, 1.0.712, 1.0.700, or any version starting with 1.0.x where x is less than 713 indicates the vulnerable version.Affected if If the version is 1.0.712 or any earlier version (such as 1.0.700, 1.0.101, etc.), the system is affected by this local privilege escalation vulnerability
A system is affected if ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware is installed and the version number is less than 1.0.713, allowing a local attacker to exploit the symlink-based file handling to escalate privileges.
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 data1.0.713
Upgrade ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware to version 1.0.713 or later. Additionally, apply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2020-0896 to mitigate the kernel exploitation vector.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-6012 — 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-2020-6012 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