CVE-2020-16894
Windows NAT Denial of Service Vulnerability
<p>A denial of service vulnerability exists when Windows Network Address Translation (NAT) on a host server fails to properly validate input from a privileged user on a guest operating system. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could cause the host server to crash.</p> <p>To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker who already has a privileged account on a guest operating system, running as a virtual machine, could run a specially crafted application that causes a host machine to crash.</p> <p>The update addresses the vulnerability by modifying how Windows NAT accesses the host.</p>
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
Windows NAT Denial of Service Vulnerability
<p>A denial of service vulnerability exists when Windows Network Address Translation (NAT) on a host server fails to properly validate input from a privileged user on a guest operating system. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could cause the host server to crash.</p> <p>To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker who already has a privileged account on a guest operating system, running as a virtual machine, could run a specially crafted application that causes a host machine to crash.</p> <p>The update addresses the vulnerability by modifying how Windows NAT accesses the host.</p>
- Record
CVE-2020-16894- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C - Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2020-8852
<p>A denial of service vulnerability exists when Windows Network Address Translation (NAT) on a host server fails to properly validate input from a privileged user on a guest operating system. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could cause the host server to crash.</p> <p>To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker who already has a privileged account on a guest operating system, running as a virtual machine, could run a specially crafted application that causes a host machine to crash.</p> <p>The update addresses the vulnerability by modifying how Windows NAT accesses the host.</p>
- Record
EUVD-2020-8852- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-c7jg-8cqr-88pq
A remote code execution vulnerability exists when Windows Network Address Translation (NAT) fails...
A remote code execution vulnerability exists when Windows Network Address Translation (NAT) fails to properly handle UDP traffic, aka 'Windows NAT Remote Code Execution Vulnerability'.
- Record
GHSA-c7jg-8cqr-88pq- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-20
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
<p>A denial of service vulnerability exists when Windows Network Address Translation (NAT) on a host server fails to properly validate input from a privileged user on a guest operating system. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could cause the host server to crash.</p> <p>To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker who already has a privileged account on a guest operating system, running as a virtual machine, could run a specially crafted application that causes a host machine to crash.</p> <p>The update addresses the vulnerability by modifying how Windows NAT accesses the host.</p>
- Record
CVE-2020-16894- CVSS 3.1
- 7.7 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 6.8 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:N/A:C - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| facts | ||
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2020-16894 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.7) in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607, published October 16, 2020. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 4.94%, the 92nd percentile. No source names a fixed version.