CVE-2020-37030
Published: 30 January 2026
Summary
CVE-2020-37030 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability in Getoutline (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception by Unquoted Path (T1574.009); ranked at the 2.7th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 CM-6 (Configuration Settings) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
Outline Service version 1.3.3 is affected by CVE-2020-37030, an unquoted service path vulnerability (CWE-428) in the Windows service binary path located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Outline. This flaw allows local users to potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated system privileges, specifically LocalSystem permissions, during service startup. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability with low complexity for local exploitation.
Local low-privileged users (PR:L) can exploit this vulnerability without user interaction by placing a malicious executable in a directory that precedes the legitimate service binary in the system's PATH search order, due to the unquoted path. Upon service startup, the injected malicious code executes with LocalSystem privileges, enabling full system compromise such as persistence, lateral movement, or data exfiltration on the affected Windows host.
Advisories and references, including those from VulnCheck detailing the unquoted service path issue and an Exploit-DB entry (exploit 48414) providing a proof-of-concept, highlight the vulnerability but do not specify patches in the available information. The official Outline site (getoutline.org) is referenced for further context on the software. Security practitioners should verify service paths, apply least privilege, and monitor for updates from the vendor.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2020-30957
Vulnerability details
Outline Service 1.3.3 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability that allows local users to potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated system privileges. Attackers can exploit the unquoted binary path in C:\Program Files (x86)\Outline to inject malicious code that would execute…
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with LocalSystem permissions during service startup.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Unquoted service path directly enables path interception by unquoted path (T1574.009) for local privilege escalation (T1068) to LocalSystem.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Establishes and enforces secure configuration settings for services, including properly quoted binary paths to directly prevent exploitation of unquoted service path vulnerabilities.
Requires identification, reporting, and timely correction of system flaws such as unquoted service paths, enabling remediation to eliminate the vulnerability.
Enforces least privilege for services, reducing the impact of malicious code execution via unquoted paths by limiting privileges to the minimum necessary.