# CVE-2020-16874: Visual Studio Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CVE-2020-16874 is fixed in 2 products on 1 platform, first by KB4571480, released September 8, 2020. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Urgent.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2020-16874
- Priority: Urgent
- CVSS: 7.8 (Critical)
- EPSS: 0.0429
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Vendor exploitability assessment: Exploitation Less Likely
- Published: Sep 8, 2020
- Vendor advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2020-16874

## Description

<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Visual Studio when it improperly handles objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker could take control of the affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.</p> <p>To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker would have to convince a user to open a specially crafted file with an affected version of Visual Studio.</p> <p>The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Visual Studio handles objects in memory.</p>

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 Update 5 |  | [KB4571480](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb4571480.md) | Sep 8, 2020 |
| Microsoft | Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Update 3 |  | [KB4571481](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb4571481.md) | Sep 8, 2020 |

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Data as of 2026-11-08T00:53:09Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo

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