# CVE-2018-8790: Privilege escalation in ZoneAlarm

> A local low-privileged user can execute arbitrary code as SYSTEM via an exposed WCF service in Check Point ZoneAlarm.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 1 Mar 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-jhvm-cvpr-9jq3

## What is CVE-2018-8790?

CVE-2018-8790 is a high-severity vulnerability in Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. ZoneAlarm, published on 1 Mar 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Check Point ZoneAlarm version 15.3.064.17729 and below expose a WCF service that can allow a local low privileged user to execute arbitrary code as SYSTEM.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-8790?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Checkpoint Zonealarm.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-8790?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-8790 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-8790 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-8790 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. ZoneAlarm

- [CVE-2022-41604](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-41604/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-23743](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-23743/): Privilege escalation in ZoneAlarm. (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2020-6023](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-6023/): Privilege escalation in Check Point ZoneAlarm (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2005-2932](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-2932/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2007-4216](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-4216/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-8790 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-8790 is a high-severity vulnerability in Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. ZoneAlarm, published on 1 Mar 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-8790 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. ZoneAlarm. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-8790/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-8790/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8790
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-8790
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-8790

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-8790/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.