CVE-2020-8337
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 · uneditedAn unquoted search path vulnerability was reported in versions prior to 1.0.83.0 of the Synaptics Smart Audio UWP app associated with the DCHU audio drivers on Lenovo platforms that could allow an administrative user to execute arbitrary code.
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 confidenceAn unquoted service path vulnerability exists in the Synaptics Smart Audio UWP app (versions prior to 1.0.83.0) on Lenovo systems. The application's service executable path lacks proper quoting, allowing an attacker with administrative access to inject and execute arbitrary code by placing a malicious executable in an intermediate path directory.
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< 1.0.83.0CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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.
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Check if Synaptics Smart Audio UWP app is installedOpen Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & features, search for 'Synaptics Smart Audio' or 'Synaptics Audio' in the installed programs listAffected if The application does not appear in the installed programs list (not affected)
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Determine the installed version of Synaptics Smart AudioRun 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*Synaptics*Smart*Audio*"} | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell, or check the app's version in Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & featuresAffected if The displayed version is lower than 1.0.83.0 (e.g., 1.0.82.0, 1.0.80.0, etc.)
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Identify the Windows service associated with Synaptics Smart AudioRun 'Get-WmiObject Win32_Service | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*Synaptics*" -or $_.DisplayName -like "*Synaptics*"} | Select-Object Name, DisplayName, PathName' in PowerShell, or use 'sc queryex type= service state= all' and look for Synaptics-related servicesAffected if No Synaptics-related Windows service is found (vulnerability does not apply to this deployment)
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Inspect the service binary path for unquoted spacesIf a Synaptics service was found, run 'Get-WmiObject Win32_Service -Filter "Name='SERVICE_NAME'" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty PathName' (replace SERVICE_NAME) or use 'sc qc SERVICE_NAME' to view the binary path name. Examine whether the path is enclosed in quotes (")Affected if The PathName shows a path without surrounding quotes that contains intermediate directories with spaces (e.g., C:\Program Files\Synaptics\Audio\service.exe instead of "C:\Program Files\Synaptics\Audio\service.exe")
You are affected if Synaptics Smart Audio UWP version is below 1.0.83.0 AND a Windows service for it exists with an unquoted executable path containing spaces.
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 data1.0.83.0
Update the Synaptics Smart Audio UWP app to version 1.0.83.0 or later through Lenovo System Update or the vendor's driver update channels.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8337 — 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-2020-8337 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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