Local privilege escalation via unquoted service path
Published Jan 23, 2026 · Updated Jan 23, 2026
Privilege escalation in Softros Systems LAN Messenger 9.6.4 allows local users to execute arbitrary code through an unquoted service path. The SoftrosSpellChecker service registers its LocalSystem executable path without quotation marks, allowing Windows to resolve an attacker-placed executable at an earlier space-delimited path segment. A low-privileged local user who can place an executable in a searched parent directory gains LocalSystem execution when the automatic service starts.
Summary
What happened
Privilege escalation in Softros Systems LAN Messenger 9.6.4 allows local users to execute arbitrary code through an unquoted service path. The SoftrosSpellChecker service registers its LocalSystem executable path without quotation marks, allowing Windows to resolve an attacker-placed executable at an earlier space-delimited path segment. A low-privileged local user who can place an executable in a searched parent directory gains LocalSystem execution when the automatic service starts.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-47889
- Published
- Jan 23, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 23, 2026
- Vendor
- Softros Systems
- Product
- Softros LAN Messenger
- Classifications
- CWE-428, T1574.009
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 23, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 23, 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=9.6.4
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
- Softros LAN Messenger 9.6.4 SoftrosSpellChecker Unquoted Service Pathproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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