LocalSystem code execution via unquoted service paths
Published Apr 4, 2026 · Updated Apr 4, 2026
Unquoted service paths in NETGATE Technologies Spy Emergency 23.0.205 allow local users to execute code with LocalSystem privileges. The SpyEmrgHealth and SpyEmrgSrv service ImagePath values omit quotes around executable paths under C:\Program Files\NETGATE\Spy Emergency, so Windows can resolve an attacker-planted executable from an earlier path segment. Exploitation requires local write access to a searched path and takes effect when either service restarts or the system reboots.
Summary
What happened
Unquoted service paths in NETGATE Technologies Spy Emergency 23.0.205 allow local users to execute code with LocalSystem privileges. The SpyEmrgHealth and SpyEmrgSrv service ImagePath values omit quotes around executable paths under C:\Program Files\NETGATE\Spy Emergency, so Windows can resolve an attacker-planted executable from an earlier path segment. Exploitation requires local write access to a searched path and takes effect when either service restarts or the system reboots.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2016-20056
- Published
- Apr 4, 2026
- Updated
- Apr 4, 2026
- Vendor
- NETGATE Technologies s.r.o.
- Product
- Spy Emergency
- 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?
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- Affected versionversion=23.0.205
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
- Spy Emergency 23.0.205 - 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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