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CVE-2016-9486

On Windows endpoints, the SecureConnector agent is vulnerable to privilege escalation whereby an authenticated unprivileged user can obtain administrator privileges on the endpoint because files are created in a folder with incorrect privileges

High7.8EPSS 1.3%
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. By default, these executable files are downloaded to and run from the %TEMP% directory of the currently logged on user, despite the fact that the SecureConnector agent is running as SYSTEM. Aside from the downloaded scripts, the SecureConnector agent runs a batch file with SYSTEM privileges from the temp directory of the currently logged on user. If the naming convention of this script can be derived, which is made possible by placing it in a directory to which the user has read access, it may be possible overwrite the legitimate batch file with a malicious one before SecureConnector executes it. It is possible to change this directory by setting the the configuration property config.script_run_folder.value in the local.properties configuration file on the CounterACT management appliance, however the batch file which is run does not follow this property.

Scores

CVSS scores of CVE-2016-9486, by who scored it
Scored byCVSSScoreVector
NVDNVD · Modified3.0High7.8CVSS: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)

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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)

Sources

The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.

Record last updated .