CVE-2024-13972

SYSTEM privilege escalation via updater registry permissions

Published Jul 17, 2025 · Updated Aug 3, 2025

Improper registry permissions in Sophos Core Agent before 2024.3.2 allow local users to gain SYSTEM privileges during an upgrade. Sophos has not disclosed which updater registry key is affected or which permission operation creates the unsafe access. Exploitation requires local access and overlap with a product upgrade; success grants the highest Windows service privilege.

CVSS severity8.8
High
EPSS probability0.13%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper registry permissions in Sophos Core Agent before 2024.3.2 allow local users to gain SYSTEM privileges during an upgrade. Sophos has not disclosed which updater registry key is affected or which permission operation creates the unsafe access. Exploitation requires local access and overlap with a product upgrade; success grants the highest Windows service privilege.

The record

CVE
CVE-2024-13972
Published
Jul 17, 2025
Updated
Aug 3, 2025
Vendor
Sophos
Product
Sophos Core Agent
Classifications
CWE-276, T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 17, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 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=0 <2024.3.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Sophos · Sophos Core Agentversion=0 <2024.3.2

Published CVSS scores

8.8SophosCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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-276Incorrect Default Permissions
T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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