LocalSystem code execution via unquoted service path
Published Jan 29, 2026 · Updated Jan 29, 2026
Privilege escalation in Keil IT e.K. BarcodeOCR 19.3.6 allows local users to execute code as LocalSystem during service startup. The BarcodeOCR service registers C:\Program Files (x86)\BarcodeOCR\Service.exe as an unquoted AUTO_START path, allowing Windows to select an attacker-planted executable from a parent path before Service.exe. Exploitation requires low-privileged local filesystem access and a service start or system reboot, after which the planted program runs with LocalSystem privileges.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Keil IT e.K. BarcodeOCR 19.3.6 allows local users to execute code as LocalSystem during service startup. The BarcodeOCR service registers C:\Program Files (x86)\BarcodeOCR\Service.exe as an unquoted AUTO_START path, allowing Windows to select an attacker-planted executable from a parent path before Service.exe. Exploitation requires low-privileged local filesystem access and a service start or system reboot, after which the planted program runs with LocalSystem privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2020-37016
- Published
- Jan 29, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 29, 2026
- Vendor
- Keil IT e.K.
- Product
- BarcodeOCR
- Classifications
- CWE-428, T1574.009
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 29, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 29, 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=19.3.6
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
- BarcodeOCR 19.3.6 Unquoted Service Pathproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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