# CVE-2020-37223: IObit Uninstaller 9.5.0.15 Unquoted Service Path Privilege Escalation

> Local attackers can escalate privileges to SYSTEM by placing a malicious executable in the unquoted service path of IObit Uninstaller.

- **Severity:** High 8.5 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **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:** 13 May 2026
- **Updated:** 28 Jul 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gm4f-f258-vpmc

## What is CVE-2020-37223?

CVE-2020-37223 is a high-severity vulnerability in IObit Uninstaller, published on 13 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

IObit Uninstaller 9.5.0.15 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in the IObitUnSvr service that allows local attackers to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level. Attackers can place a malicious executable named IObit.exe in the C:\Program Files (x86)\IObit directory and restart the service to execute code with SYSTEM privileges.

Weakness: CWE-428 (Unquoted Search Path or Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-37223?


## How do I fix CVE-2020-37223?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-37223 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-37223 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2020-37223 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-37223 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-37223 is a high-severity vulnerability in IObit Uninstaller, published on 13 May 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2020-37223 exists.

Affected product: IObit Uninstaller. 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-2020-37223/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-37223/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-37223
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-37223
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-37223

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-37223/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.