CVE-2023-53954Public exploit

Local privilege escalation via unquoted service path

Published Dec 19, 2025 · Updated Dec 19, 2025

Unquoted service path handling in ActFax 10.10 allows local users to gain elevated execution through ActiveFaxServiceNT. The Windows service registers its executable path without quotation marks, causing service startup to resolve a planted ActSrvNT.exe before the intended binary. The attacker needs write access to a searched Program Files directory, and execution occurs when the service restarts.

CVSS severity8.5
High
EPSS probability0.14%
Next 30 days · Sep 17, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Unquoted service path handling in ActFax 10.10 allows local users to gain elevated execution through ActiveFaxServiceNT. The Windows service registers its executable path without quotation marks, causing service startup to resolve a planted ActSrvNT.exe before the intended binary. The attacker needs write access to a searched Program Files directory, and execution occurs when the service restarts.

The record

CVE
CVE-2023-53954
Published
Dec 19, 2025
Updated
Dec 19, 2025
Vendor
ActFax Communication-Software GmbH
Product
ActFax
Classifications
CWE-428, T1574.009
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 19, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Dec 19, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=10.10

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

ActFax Communication-Software GmbH · ActFaxversion=10.10

Published CVSS scores

6.2VulnCheckCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
8.5VulnCheckCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

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 11, 2026Sep 17, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 17, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

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

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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