# CVE-2019-18670: Privilege escalation in n/a

> A local attacker can escalate privileges to SYSTEM by loading a malicious DLL into the Acer Quick Access service due to insecure search path handling.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 17 Dec 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mr9m-2xh2-j9pw

## What is CVE-2019-18670?

CVE-2019-18670 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 17 Dec 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

In the Quick Access Service (QAAdminAgent.exe) in Acer Quick Access V2.01.3000 through 2.01.3027 and V3.00.3000 through V3.00.3008, a REGULAR user can load an arbitrary unsigned DLL into the signed service's process, which is running as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. This is a DLL Hijacking vulnerability (including search order hijacking, which searches for the missing DLL in the PATH environment variable), which is caused by an uncontrolled search path element for nvapi.dll, atiadlxx.dll, or atiadlxy.dll.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-18670?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Acer Quick Access.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-18670?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-18670 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-18670 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-18670 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-18670 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-18670 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 17 Dec 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-18670 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2019-18670/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-18670/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-18670
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-18670
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-18670

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-18670/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.