CVE-2024-7232 Avast Free Antivirus AvastSvc Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

High 7.8 Published 22 Nov 2024 Updated 25 Nov 2024

Local attackers can escalate privileges to SYSTEM by exploiting a symbolic link flaw in the Avast Service to delete folders.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2024-7232?

CVE-2024-7232 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Avast Free Antivirus, published on 22 Nov 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Avast Free Antivirus AvastSvc Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Avast Free Antivirus. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.

The specific flaw exists within the Avast Service. By creating a symbolic link, an attacker can abuse the service to delete a folder. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-22963.

Weakness: CWE-59

Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-7232?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Avast Free Antivirus.

How do I fix CVE-2024-7232?

No fix has been published for CVE-2024-7232 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Upgrade, and resolve every user-supplied path against an allowed base folder before opening it. More about Path traversal.

Is CVE-2024-7232 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-7232 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-6jhm-j4gf-hvjx.