CVE-2023-36658

Local SYSTEM escalation via unquoted service path

Published Sep 15, 2023 · Updated Sep 25, 2024

Unquoted service paths in OPSWAT MetaDefender Kiosk before 4.6.2 and Media Validation Agent before 2.0.7 allow local users to gain SYSTEM privileges. The Windows service configuration stores an executable path containing spaces without surrounding quotation marks, causing service startup to search attacker-writable parent paths. A local low-privileged user who can place an executable in a searched directory can run code as SYSTEM when the affected service starts.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.23%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Unquoted service paths in OPSWAT MetaDefender Kiosk before 4.6.2 and Media Validation Agent before 2.0.7 allow local users to gain SYSTEM privileges. The Windows service configuration stores an executable path containing spaces without surrounding quotation marks, causing service startup to search attacker-writable parent paths. A local low-privileged user who can place an executable in a searched directory can run code as SYSTEM when the affected service starts.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-36658
Published
Sep 15, 2023
Updated
Sep 25, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-428, T1574.009
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 15, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 25, 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

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.

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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 exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-428Unquoted Search Path or Element
T1574.009Path Interception by Unquoted Path

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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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