CVE-2017-7180 in Net Monitor for Employees Pro
Summary
by MITRE
Net Monitor for Employees Pro through 5.3.4 has an unquoted service path, which allows a Security Feature Bypass of its documented "Block applications" design goal. The local attacker must have privileges to write to program.exe in a protected directory, such as the %SYSTEMDRIVE% directory, and thus the issue is not interpreted as a direct privilege escalation. However, the local attacker might have the goal of executing program.exe even though program.exe is a blocked application.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-7180 affects Net Monitor for Employees Pro version 5.3.4 and earlier, presenting a security feature bypass through an unquoted service path configuration. This flaw resides within the software's service installation process where the service path lacks proper quotation, creating a potential attack vector that undermines the application's intended security controls. The software is designed to block specific applications through its documented "Block applications" functionality, yet this vulnerability allows adversaries to circumvent these protections through a carefully crafted attack scenario.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper service path configuration where the Windows service installation does not properly quote the executable path. When Windows processes a service installation with an unquoted path, it follows a specific resolution order that can be exploited by attackers. The system will first attempt to execute the program from the root directory of the drive, and if that fails, it will proceed through the path components until it finds an executable with the matching name. This behavior creates an opportunity for privilege escalation through service binary replacement attacks, as described in the CWE-428 weakness classification.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for local attackers who possess the necessary privileges to write to protected directories such as the %SYSTEMDRIVE% directory. While the issue does not constitute a direct privilege escalation, it enables attackers to achieve their goal of executing blocked applications through the compromised service mechanism. The attack requires local access and write permissions to the system drive, which may be obtained through various means including social engineering, credential compromise, or other initial access vectors. This vulnerability directly impacts the software's intended security posture and undermines the trust model of the application's access control mechanisms.
The security implications extend beyond simple application execution, as this flaw represents a violation of the principle of least privilege and can be leveraged to bypass security controls that are fundamental to the software's purpose. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a service binary replacement technique, where adversaries replace legitimate service binaries with malicious ones to achieve persistence or privilege escalation. The vulnerability demonstrates a common misconfiguration pattern that is frequently exploited in enterprise environments, particularly when security tools are not properly configured or when administrators fail to validate service installations. Organizations implementing Net Monitor for Employees Pro should consider this vulnerability as part of their overall security assessment, especially when evaluating the effectiveness of application control measures and the security posture of endpoint protection solutions. Mitigation strategies should include proper service path quoting during installation, regular security audits of service configurations, and implementation of additional access controls to prevent unauthorized modifications to system directories.