SYSTEM code execution via unvalidated privileged file copy
Published Jul 22, 2026 · Updated Jul 22, 2026
Local privilege escalation in servereye Windows Agent 20.15 and earlier allows local users to execute code as SYSTEM through update IPC. EmergencyRecoveryService.exe trusts a user-writable update_available trigger and makes UpdaterAction.exe copy attacker-selected files to protected paths without validating either path. Standard Windows user access and the default directory permissions suffice to replace ClientAgentContainerService.exe, which the watchdog restarts as SYSTEM.
Summary
What happened
Local privilege escalation in servereye Windows Agent 20.15 and earlier allows local users to execute code as SYSTEM through update IPC. EmergencyRecoveryService.exe trusts a user-writable update_available trigger and makes UpdaterAction.exe copy attacker-selected files to protected paths without validating either path. Standard Windows user access and the default directory permissions suffice to replace ClientAgentContainerService.exe, which the watchdog restarts as SYSTEM.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2026-14551
- Published
- Jul 22, 2026
- Updated
- Jul 22, 2026
- Vendor
- servereye GmbH
- Product
- servereye Windows Agent (Sensorhub)
- Classifications
- CWE-269, CWE-73, CWE-379, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 22, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 22, 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0 <=20.15
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- InfoGuard service binary hijacking proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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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