CVE-2024-20656
Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 17.2 – 17.2.23
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2024-20656 is a high-severity Link Following (CWE-59) vulnerability in Microsoft Visual Studio 2022. Its CVSS base score is 7.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Security Account Manager (T1003.002); ranked in the top 10% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AC-6 (Least Privilege) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2024-20656 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Visual Studio. It carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 with the vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H and is associated with CWE-59. The flaw allows an attacker to gain unauthorized elevated access on an affected system.
An attacker with local access and low privileges can exploit the issue without user interaction, resulting in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the target host. The vulnerability therefore enables a local user to elevate privileges to a higher context within Visual Studio installations.
Microsoft has published guidance for the vulnerability through its Security Response Center at the listed advisory URL, directing administrators to available updates that address the reported weakness. The associated EPSS score reached a peak of 0.6274 and currently stands at 0.5433, indicating moderate and sustained exploitation interest since disclosure.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-18371
Vulnerability Data
Visual Studio Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Proper enforcement of access authorizations on the resolved target resource stops a link from reaching an unintended object.
Least-privilege limits the damage an attacker can cause after following an unintended link.
Validating file-name inputs can reject or canonicalize names that resolve to links before access occurs.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly require code to validate paths and avoid unsafe link following.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.