LocalSystem privilege escalation via unquoted service path
Published Apr 4, 2026 · Updated Apr 4, 2026
Unquoted service path handling in IObit Advanced SystemCare 10.0.2 allows local users to execute code with LocalSystem privileges. AdvancedSystemCareService10 registers its executable path under Program Files without quotation marks, causing Windows to resolve an attacker-placed executable earlier in the path. Exploitation requires local file placement and execution occurs when the service restarts or the system reboots.
Summary
What happened
Unquoted service path handling in IObit Advanced SystemCare 10.0.2 allows local users to execute code with LocalSystem privileges. AdvancedSystemCareService10 registers its executable path under Program Files without quotation marks, causing Windows to resolve an attacker-placed executable earlier in the path. Exploitation requires local file placement and execution occurs when the service restarts or the system reboots.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2016-20055
- Published
- Apr 4, 2026
- Updated
- Apr 4, 2026
- Vendor
- IObit
- Product
- Advanced SystemCare
- Classifications
- CWE-428, T1574.009
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 4, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 4, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.2
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- IObit Advanced SystemCare 10.0.2 Unquoted Service Path Privilege Escalationproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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