Author: Ameeba

Overview

The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving with new threats and vulnerabilities cropping up almost daily. One such vulnerability, CVE-2024-13960, affects users of AVG TuneUp Version 23.4 (build 15592) on Windows 10 operating systems. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM, which can potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage. Given the widespread use of AVG TuneUp, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to many users and organizations.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-13960
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

AVG TuneUp | Version 23.4 (build 15592)

How the Exploit Works

This exploit takes advantage of a TOCTTOU (time-of-check to time-of-use) vulnerability in the TuneUp Service of AVG TuneUp. The attacker needs to have local access and user interaction to successfully carry out the attack. They create a symbolic link and leverage the TOCTTOU vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. This allows the attacker to potentially compromise the system or cause data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

While a specific exploit code is not presented here for ethical reasons, a conceptual example would involve a local user creating a symbolic link and utilizing it to exploit the TOCTTOU vulnerability. The steps might look something like this in pseudo code:

# Create a symbolic link
create_symlink('/path/to/vulnerable/file', '/path/to/controlled/location')
# Exploit the TOCTTOU vulnerability
exploit_TOCTTOU('/path/to/controlled/location')

This is a simplified representation, and the actual exploit would likely involve more complex interactions with the system and the software. Nonetheless, this provides a good understanding of the fundamental process behind the exploit.
Understanding such vulnerabilities and how they can be exploited is crucial for maintaining a secure cyber environment. Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include applying the vendor patch or using WAF/IDS as temporary mitigation. Stay vigilant, stay updated, and stay secure.

Overview

The vulnerability in question, CVE-2024-13959, is a serious cybersecurity issue affecting AVG TuneUp 24.2.16593.9844 on Windows. The flaw allows local attackers to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the SYSTEM through the creation of a symbolic link. By leveraging the service, they can delete a directory, which in turn, could potentially compromise the system or lead to data leakage.
Given the popularity and widespread usage of AVG TuneUp by both individual users and organizations, this vulnerability has a broad impact. The fact that it allows local attackers to execute arbitrary code under the SYSTEM context makes it a significant concern for all AVG TuneUp users.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-13959
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

AVG TuneUp | 24.2.16593.9844

How the Exploit Works

The exploit takes advantage of a vulnerability in TuneupSvc.exe in AVG TuneUp. The attacker begins by creating a symbolic link and then leverages the service to delete a directory. By doing this, the attacker can escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the SYSTEM. This means that they can manipulate the system as if they had the highest level of access, potentially leading to system compromise or data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

The following pseudocode provides a conceptual example of how this vulnerability might be exploited:

# Create a symbolic link
os.symlink("/path/to/target/directory", "/path/to/symlink")
# Leverage the service to delete a directory
os.system("TuneupSvc.exe /delete /path/to/symlink")
# Execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM
os.system("cmd.exe /c ArbitraryCode")

Please note, this is a simplified and hypothetical representation of the exploit. The actual exploit would likely be more complex and requires specific conditions to be met.

Overview

The cybersecurity community has recently identified a significant vulnerability, CVE-2024-13944, in Norton Utilities Ultimate Version 24.2.16862.6344 running on Windows 10 Pro x64 systems. This vulnerability could lead to local privilege escalation, enabling local attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Given the widespread use of Norton Utilities in many businesses and homes worldwide, this vulnerability potentially exposes a large number of systems to compromise. This vulnerability matters because it could potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage, posing a significant risk to data confidentiality and integrity.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-13944
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Norton Utilities Ultimate | Version 24.2.16862.6344

How the Exploit Works

The exploit involves taking advantage of the NortonUtilitiesSvc in Norton Utilities Ultimate. This service has a flaw in its handling of symbolic links, which a local attacker can leverage to escalate their privileges. The attacker first creates a symbolic link and then exploits a TOCTTOU (time-of-check to time-of-use) race condition to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges.

Conceptual Example Code

This is a
conceptual
example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. The attacker would first create a symbolic link to a sensitive file, then manipulate the timing to exploit the TOCTTOU vulnerability.

# Attacker creates a symbolic link to a sensitive file
ln -s /path/to/sensitive/file /path/to/symlink
# Attacker exploits the TOCTTOU vulnerability
# to overwrite the sensitive file with arbitrary code
echo "arbitrary code" > /path/to/symlink

This example is simplified and may not represent the exact steps an attacker would take.

Mitigation Guidance

Users are strongly advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as possible to mitigate this vulnerability. If a patch cannot be immediately applied, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) may provide temporary mitigation. However, these are not long-term solutions and the system will remain vulnerable until the patch is applied. Regularly updating and patching software is a best practice in cybersecurity and can prevent many such vulnerabilities from being exploited.

Overview

The vulnerability in question, CVE-2024-13759, is a Local Privilege Escalation that affects Avira Prime 1.1.96.2 on Windows 10 x64. This vulnerability is of significant concern as it allows local attackers to elevate their privileges to system-level via arbitrary file deletion. Due to the potential for system compromise or data leakage, organizations and individual users deploying Avira Prime should prioritize the mitigation of this cyber threat.

Vulnerability Summary

CVE ID: CVE-2024-13759
Severity: High – CVSS Score 7.8
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low (user level)
User Interaction: Required
Impact: System compromise or data leakage

Affected Products

Product | Affected Versions

Avira Prime | 1.1.96.2

How the Exploit Works

The exploit leverages the Avira.Spotlight.Service.exe in Avira Prime 1.1.96.2 to delete arbitrary files, which in turn allows the attacker to elevate their privileges to system-level. The attacker requires user-level privileges and must interact with the system to initiate the exploit. The potential impact of this exploit includes system compromise, including unauthorized access and control, as well as potential data leakage.

Conceptual Example Code

While the exact code to exploit this vulnerability is not provided as a responsible disclosure measure, a conceptual example might look something like this:

# Attacker connects to the system
ssh attacker@target_system
# Navigates to Avira.Spotlight.Service.exe
cd /path/to/Avira.Spotlight.Service.exe
# Deletes arbitrary file to trigger privilege escalation
rm /path/to/arbitrary/file

After the arbitrary file is deleted, the system could potentially respond by elevating the privileges of the attacker, providing them with system-level access.

Mitigation and Recommendations

Organizations and individuals are advised to apply the vendor patch as soon as it is available to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. In the absence of a vendor patch, using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can serve as a temporary mitigation strategy. Regular patching and updating of software, along with continuous monitoring for any suspicious activities, are recommended as best practices in cybersecurity.