CVE-2016-20056 in Spy Emergency
Summary
by MITRE • 04/04/2026
Spy Emergency build 23.0.205 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in the SpyEmrgHealth and SpyEmrgSrv services that allows local attackers to escalate privileges by inserting malicious executables. Attackers can place executable files in the unquoted service path and trigger service restart or system reboot to execute code with LocalSystem privileges.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-20056 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within Spy Emergency version 23.0.205 that stems from improper service path configuration. This issue affects two specific services within the software ecosystem: SpyEmrgHealth and SpyEmrgSrv. The root cause lies in the absence of proper quotation around service executable paths during installation, creating a path traversal opportunity that malicious actors can exploit to gain elevated system privileges.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-428, which describes the condition where an application or system fails to properly quote or escape paths in command-line arguments or service configurations. The unquoted service path creates a predictable attack surface where an attacker can place a malicious executable in a directory along the service path without requiring explicit quotation marks. When the service restarts or the system reboots, the service loader executes the malicious binary from the unquoted path instead of the intended legitimate executable, effectively bypassing normal access controls and privilege boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple local privilege escalation as it provides attackers with LocalSystem privileges, which represent the highest level of access within a windows operating system. This elevated privilege level enables attackers to perform actions such as installing additional malware, modifying system files, accessing sensitive data, and potentially establishing persistent backdoors. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal user interaction or elevated privileges to execute successfully, making it an attractive target for both malicious actors and red teams conducting security assessments.
From a defensive perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation and T1543 for creating or modifying system level execution mechanisms. The most effective mitigation strategies involve immediate patching of the affected software version, implementing proper service path quoting during installation processes, and conducting comprehensive security audits of installed services to identify similar unquoted path vulnerabilities. System administrators should also implement application whitelisting policies and monitor for unusual service behavior or unauthorized executable installations in common service path directories. Additionally, regular security assessments should include enumeration of service configurations to identify and remediate unquoted service paths across all installed software, as this represents a common pattern in software development that can affect numerous applications beyond Spy Emergency.