{"id":51227,"date":"2025-06-13T03:40:34","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T03:40:34","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-06-23T23:26:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T05:26:59","slug":"cve-2024-9524-local-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-in-avira-prime-speedup-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameeba.com\/blog\/cve-2024-9524-local-privilege-escalation-vulnerability-in-avira-prime-speedup-service\/","title":{"rendered":"CVE-2024-9524: Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in Avira Prime Speedup Service<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

The vulnerability under discussion, CVE-2024-9524, presents a significant threat to users of Avira Prime version 1.1.96.2 on Windows 10 x64. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary code within the context of the SYSTEM, posing a serious risk to system security. The impact is significant because it compromises the integrity of the system and potentially exposes sensitive data<\/a> to malevolent actors. Cybersecurity professionals, network administrators, and individual users should be aware of this vulnerability and take the necessary steps to secure<\/a> their systems.<\/p>\n

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

CVE ID: CVE-2024-9524
\nSeverity: High (7.8 CVSS score)
\nAttack Vector: Local
\nPrivileges Required: Low
\nUser Interaction: Required
\nImpact: Potential system<\/a> compromise or data leakage<\/p>\n

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

Product | Affected Versions<\/p>\n

Avira Prime<\/a> | Version 1.1.96.2 on Windows 10 x64<\/p>\n

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

The exploit takes advantage of a Time-of-check to Time-of-use (TOCTTOU) condition in Avira Prime’s Speedup Service. In essence, it manipulates the time gap between the check (when the system verifies the file’s<\/a> properties) and the use (when the file is executed or written). An attacker can exploit this gap to create a symbolic link<\/a> to a privileged file or directory.
\nWhen the Speedup Service attempts to perform operations on the originally intended file, it inadvertently performs them on the linked file instead, thus potentially granting elevated privileges<\/a> or executing arbitrary code. The exploit requires local access to the system and user<\/a> interaction, making social engineering or another form of initial compromise a likely vector for the attack.<\/p>\n

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

The example below illustrates a conceptual command-line sequence an attacker might use to exploit<\/a> this vulnerability:<\/p>\n

# Attacker gains low-level access to the system\n$ whoami\nlow-privilege-user\n# Attacker creates symbolic link to a system file\n$ ln -s \/path\/to\/system\/file \/path\/to\/SpeedupService\/file\n# Attacker manipulates the SpeedupService to perform operations on the link\n$ .\/malicious_operation\n# If successful, the attacker now has escalated privileges\n$ whoami\nSYSTEM<\/code><\/pre>\n
This is a simplified representation of an attack scenario. Actual exploitation would likely involve more complex steps and sophisticated techniques.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Overview The vulnerability under discussion, CVE-2024-9524, presents a significant threat to users of Avira Prime version 1.1.96.2 on Windows 10 x64. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary code within the context of the SYSTEM, posing a serious risk to system security. The impact is significant because it compromises 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-51227","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