How severe is CVE-2020-7280?

CVE-2020-7280 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-7280 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (32nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-7280?

CVE-2020-7280 primarily affects Mcafee Virusscan Enterprise. In total, 15 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-7280?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-7280 published?

CVE-2020-7280 was published on 2020-06-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-7280

CVE-2020-7280 is a high-severity vulnerability in Mcafee Virusscan Enterprise with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-269.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 4.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (32nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-269
Affected product: Mcafee Virusscan Enterprise
Published: 2020-06-10
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Privilege Escalation vulnerability during daily DAT updates when using McAfee Virus Scan Enterprise (VSE) prior to 8.8 Patch 15 allows local users to cause the deletion and creation of files they would not normally have permission to through altering the target of symbolic links. This is timing dependent.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-7280?: Privilege Escalation vulnerability during daily DAT updates when using McAfee Virus Scan Enterprise (VSE) prior to 8.8 Patch 15 allows local users to cause the deletion and creation of files they would not normally have permission to through altering the target of symbolic links. This is timing dependent.
How severe is CVE-2020-7280?: CVE-2020-7280 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-7280 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (32nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-7280?: CVE-2020-7280 primarily affects Mcafee Virusscan Enterprise. In total, 15 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-7280?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-7280 published?: CVE-2020-7280 was published on 2020-06-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (15)

cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:-:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch1:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch10:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch11:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch12:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch13:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch14:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch2:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch3:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch4:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch5:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch6:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch7:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch8:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:virusscan_enterprise:8.8:patch9:*:*:*:windows:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Mcafee Virusscan Enterprise

CVE-2009-5118 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): Untrusted search path vulnerability in McAfee VirusScan Enterprise before 8.7i allows local users to gain privileges…
CVE-2020-7267 — High (CVSS 8.8): Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee VirusScan Enterprise (VSE) for Linux prior to 2.0.3 Hotfix 2635000 allows…
CVE-2020-7266 — High (CVSS 8.8): Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee VirusScan Enterprise (VSE) for Windows prior to 8.8 Patch 14 Hotfix 116778…
CVE-2016-8024 — High (CVSS 8.1): Improper neutralization of CRLF sequences in HTTP headers vulnerability in Intel Security VirusScan Enterprise Linux…
CVE-2016-8023 — High (CVSS 8.1): Authentication bypass by assumed-immutable data vulnerability in Intel Security VirusScan Enterprise Linux (VSEL) 2.0.3…
CVE-2016-8020 — High (CVSS 8.0): Improper control of generation of code vulnerability in Intel Security VirusScan Enterprise Linux (VSEL) 2.0.3 (and…

All CVEs affecting Mcafee Virusscan Enterprise →

Other CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-31852 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Jellyfin is an open-source media system. The code-quality.yml GitHub Actions workflow in jellyfin/jellyfin-ios is…
CVE-2025-20282 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability in an internal API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to…
CVE-2025-0505 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): On Arista CloudVision systems (virtual or physical on-premise deployments), Zero Touch Provisioning can be used to gain…
CVE-2023-48418 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): In checkDebuggingDisallowed of DeviceVersionFragment.java, there is a possible way to access adb before SUW…
CVE-2023-48419 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An attacker in the wifi vicinity of a target Google Home can spy on the victim, resulting in Elevation of Privilege
CVE-2023-31273 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Protection mechanism failure in some Intel DCM software before version 5.2 may allow an unauthenticated user to…

Browse all CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) vulnerabilities →