SYSTEM privilege escalation via unquoted service path
Published May 13, 2026 · Updated May 13, 2026
Unquoted service path handling in the IObitUnSvr service in IObit Uninstaller 9.5.0.15 allows local users to execute code as SYSTEM. The service registers its space-containing executable path without surrounding quotation marks, so Windows resolves an attacker-placed IObit.exe from the writable parent directory before the intended service binary. Exploitation requires write access to C:\Program Files (x86)\IObit and a restart of the LocalSystem service, after which the planted executable runs with SYSTEM privileges.
Summary
What happened
Unquoted service path handling in the IObitUnSvr service in IObit Uninstaller 9.5.0.15 allows local users to execute code as SYSTEM. The service registers its space-containing executable path without surrounding quotation marks, so Windows resolves an attacker-placed IObit.exe from the writable parent directory before the intended service binary. Exploitation requires write access to C:\Program Files (x86)\IObit and a restart of the LocalSystem service, after which the planted executable runs with SYSTEM privileges.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2020-37223
- Published
- May 13, 2026
- Updated
- May 13, 2026
- Vendor
- IObit
- Product
- IObit Uninstaller
- Classifications
- CWE-428, T1574.009
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 13, 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=9.5.0.15
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 Uninstaller Service Unquoted Service Pathfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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