# CVE-2022-4149: Local privilege escalation using log file

> A local attacker can exploit a race condition in the Netskope Client log file handling to escalate privileges to SYSTEM.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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:** 15 Jun 2023
- **Updated:** 12 Dec 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hrcj-xqpr-q9q7

## What is CVE-2022-4149?

CVE-2022-4149 is a high-severity vulnerability in Netskope Client, published on 15 Jun 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The Netskope client service (prior to R96) on Windows runs as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM which writes log files to a writable directory (C:\Users\Public\netSkope) for a standard user. The files are created and written with a SYSTEM account except one file (logplaceholder) which inherits permission giving all users full access control list. Netskope client restricts access to this file by allowing only read permissions as a standard user. Whenever the Netskope client service restarts, it deletes the logplaceholder and recreates, creating a race condition, which can be exploited by a malicious local user to create the file and set ACL permissions on the file. Once the file is created by a malicious user with proper ACL permissions, all files within C:\Users\Public\netSkope\ becomes modifiable by the unprivileged user. By using Windows pseudo-symlink, these files can be pointed to other places in the system and thus malicious users will be able to elevate privileges.

Weakness: CWE-367 (Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2022-4149?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Netskope Netskope.

## How do I fix CVE-2022-4149?

No fix has been published for CVE-2022-4149 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2022-4149 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2022-4149 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Netskope Client

- [CVE-2020-24576](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24576/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2024-7401](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-7401/): Client Enrollment Process Bypass (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2021-44862](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-44862/): Sensitive Information store in NSClient logs (high 8.4)
- [CVE-2021-41388](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-41388/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2020-28845](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-28845/): Code injection in n/a (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2022-4149 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2022-4149 is a high-severity vulnerability in Netskope Client, published on 15 Jun 2023. 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-2022-4149 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Netskope Client. 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-2022-4149/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4149/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-4149
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-4149
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2022-4149

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-4149/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.