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Unifi VideoApplication · Ui

CVE-2020-8146

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-04-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.10.2 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
In UniFi Video v3.10.1 (for Windows 7/8/10 x64) there is a Local Privileges Escalation to SYSTEM from arbitrary file deletion and DLL hijack vulnerabilities. The issue was fixed by adjusting the .tsExport folder when the controller is running on Windows and adjusting the SafeDllSearchMode in the windows registry when installing UniFi-Video controller. Affected Products: UniFi Video Controller v3.10.2 (for Windows 7/8/10 x64) and prior. Fixed in UniFi Video Controller v3.10.3 and newer.

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 confidence

UniFi Video Controller v3.10.2 and prior on Windows contains a local privilege escalation to SYSTEM achieved through arbitrary file deletion via an insecurely placed .tsExport folder and DLL hijacking due to unsafe DLL search order. The SafeDllSearchMode was not properly configured in the Windows registry during installation, allowing DLL injection. Fixed in v3.10.3 by repositioning the .tsExport folder and configuring SafeDllSearchMode in the registry.

MitigationUpgrade to UniFi Video Controller v3.10.3 or newer. As interim mitigation, audit and restrict permissions on the .tsExport folder and ensure SafeDllSearchMode is enabled (set to 1) in the Windows registry.

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
Unifi VideoApplication
Affected:<= 3.10.2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed UniFi Video Controller version
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*UniFi*"} | Select-Object Name, Version' in PowerShell
    Affected if Version displayed is 3.10.2 or lower
  2. Verify .tsExport folder location
    Locate the .tsExport folder in the UniFi Video installation directory (typically C:\Ubiquiti\UniFi Video\ or similar). Check if it exists directly under the installation root rather than in a protected location
    Affected if The .tsExport folder exists in an insecure location within the application directory
  3. Check SafeDllSearchMode registry setting
    Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager, or run 'Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager" -Name SafeDllSearchMode' in PowerShell
    Affected if SafeDllSearchMode is missing, not set, or set to 0 (disabled)
  4. Confirm Windows platform
    Verify the operating system is Windows (the vulnerability only affects Windows installations of UniFi Video Controller)
    Affected if The target system is running Windows with UniFi Video Controller <= 3.10.2 installed

A system is affected if UniFi Video Controller version 3.10.2 or lower is installed on Windows with the .tsExport folder in an insecure location or with SafeDllSearchMode disabled (not set to 1) in the registry.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.10.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to UniFi Video Controller v3.10.3 or newer. As interim mitigation, audit and restrict permissions on the .tsExport folder and ensure SafeDllSearchMode is enabled (set to 1) in the Windows registry.

Fix this in Unifi Video Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-8146 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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