CVE-2016-9485
On Windows endpoints, the SecureConnector agent is vulnerable to privilege escalation whereby an authenticated unprivileged user can obtain administrator privileges on the endpoint because it fails to set any permissions on downloaded file objects
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- certcc
Description
On Windows endpoints, the SecureConnector agent must run under the local SYSTEM account or another administrator account in order to enable full functionality of the agent. The typical configuration is for the agent to run as a Windows service under the local SYSTEM account. The SecureConnector agent runs various plugin scripts and executables on the endpoint in order to gather and report information about the host to the CounterACT management appliance. The SecureConnector agent downloads these scripts and executables as needed from the CounterACT management appliance and runs them on the endpoint. The SecureConnector agent fails to set any permissions on downloaded file objects. This allows a malicious user to take ownership of any of these files and make modifications to it, regardless of where the files are saved. These files are then executed under SYSTEM privileges. A malicious unprivileged user can overwrite these executable files with malicious code before the SecureConnector agent executes them, causing the malicious code to be run under the SYSTEM account.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.0 | High7.8 | CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 1.3% · top 29% of all CVEs (2 Nov 2026)
Loading the EPSS history…
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.8.
Weakness
Affected products
Microsoft · Windows SecureConnector agent
- unknown N/A
What to do
Solution: The vendor has released the HPS Inspection Engine Plugin, version 10.4.1.1 to address the vulnerability.
References (2)
- VU#768331 (opens in a new tab)third-party-advisoryx_refsource_CERT-VNx_transferred
- 94740 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Record last updated .