CVE-2023-31497Public exploit

Root privilege escalation via world-writable service files

Published May 11, 2023 · Updated Jan 27, 2025

Incorrect access control in Quick Heal Seqrite Endpoint Security before 8.0 allows local users to execute attacker-supplied code as root. Default Linux installations make /etc/init.d startup scripts, daemon binaries, and executable shared objects world-writable, so an unprivileged user can replace privileged code. The attack requires a local low-privilege account, and execution occurs when the affected service reloads or the system reboots, yielding root access.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.52%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Incorrect access control in Quick Heal Seqrite Endpoint Security before 8.0 allows local users to execute attacker-supplied code as root. Default Linux installations make /etc/init.d startup scripts, daemon binaries, and executable shared objects world-writable, so an unprivileged user can replace privileged code. The attack requires a local low-privilege account, and execution occurs when the affected service reloads or the system reboots, yielding root access.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-31497
Published
May 11, 2023
Updated
Jan 27, 2025
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
T1037.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 11, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jan 27, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

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
7.8CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1037.004RC Scripts

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo