{"id":51226,"date":"2025-06-13T02:40:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T02:40:11","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-08-30T04:39:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T10:39:08","slug":"cve-2024-13962-local-privilege-escalation-in-avast-cleanup-premium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2024-13962-local-privilege-escalation-in-avast-cleanup-premium\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2024-13962: Local Privilege Escalation in Avast Cleanup Premium<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE-2024-13962 is a severe security vulnerability discovered in Gen Digital Inc. Avast Cleanup Premium Version 24.2.16593.17810 on Windows 10 Pro x64. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the SYSTEM. This privilege escalation vulnerability<\/a> is particularly concerning as it poses a significant threat to the security of all systems running the affected software worldwide. It has the potential to compromise system integrity and lead to data<\/a> leakage if not mitigated promptly and correctly.<\/p>\n

Vulnerability Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n

CVE ID: CVE-2024-13962
\nSeverity: High, CVSS score of 7.8
\nAttack Vector: Local
\nPrivileges Required: Low
\nUser Interaction: None
\nImpact: Privilege escalation<\/a>, potential system compromise, and data leakage<\/p>\n

Affected Products<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

Avast Cleanup<\/a> Premium| Version 24.2.16593.17810 on Windows 10 Pro x64<\/p>\n

How the Exploit Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vulnerability occurs due<\/a> to the insecure handling of symbolic links in the TuneupSvc function of the Avast Cleanup Premium software. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by creating a symbolic link<\/a> and leveraging a TOCTTOU (time-of-check to time-of-use) attack. Essentially, the software checks the symbolic link at one point and then uses it at a later time, during which an attacker can alter the link. This misstep allows the attacker to escalate their privileges<\/a> and execute arbitrary code in the context of the SYSTEM, leading to potential system compromise or data leakage.<\/p>\n

Conceptual Example Code<\/strong><\/p>\n

The following pseudocode illustrates a conceptual example of how the vulnerability<\/a> might be exploited:<\/p>\n

# Pseudocode for CVE-2024-13962 exploit\ndef exploit():\n# Create a symbolic link\ncreate_symlink('target_link', 'malicious_link')\n# Wait for software to check the link\nwhile not is_checked('target_link'):\ntime.sleep(1)\n# Change the symbolic link after the check\nchange_symlink('target_link', 'malicious_link')\n# Execute arbitrary code\nexecute_code_as_system('malicious_code')<\/code><\/pre>\n
This pseudocode represents the attacker’s actions. The create_symlink function creates a symbolic link, the is_checked function checks if the link has been validated by the software, the change_symlink function changes the symbolic link after validation, and the execute_code_as_system function executes arbitrary code with escalated privileges<\/a>.
\nPlease note that this is a simplification of the exploit process for illustrative purposes and does not represent an actual working exploit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview CVE-2024-13962 is a severe security vulnerability discovered in Gen Digital Inc. Avast Cleanup Premium Version 24.2.16593.17810 on Windows 10 Pro x64. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of the SYSTEM. This privilege escalation vulnerability is particularly concerning as it poses a significant threat to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"vendor":[82],"product":[],"attack_vector":[76],"asset_type":[],"severity":[],"exploit_status":[],"class_list":["post-51226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","vendor-microsoft","attack_vector-privilege-escalation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t