CVE-2021-35523Public exploit

SYSTEM privilege escalation via user-writable VPN configuration

Published Jun 28, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Local privilege escalation in Securepoint SSL VPN Client v2 before 2.0.32 allows local users to execute code as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. The Windows client loads an OpenVPN configuration from the user's %APPDATA% directory and executes an external script referenced by that modifiable configuration with privileged service rights. Any non-privileged local account able to alter its client configuration can gain full SYSTEM-level control of the host without user interaction.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.73%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Local privilege escalation in Securepoint SSL VPN Client v2 before 2.0.32 allows local users to execute code as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. The Windows client loads an OpenVPN configuration from the user's %APPDATA% directory and executes an external script referenced by that modifiable configuration with privileged service rights. Any non-privileged local account able to alter its client configuration can gain full SYSTEM-level control of the host without user interaction.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-35523
Published
Jun 28, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-269, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 28, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.2NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-269Improper Privilege Management
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

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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