CVE-2018-8724 in K7AntiVirus Premium
Summary
by MITRE • 01/12/2021
K7Computing Pvt Ltd K7AntiVirus Premium 15.1.0.53 is affected by: Incorrect Access Control. The impact is: gain privileges (local). The component is: K7TSMngr.exe.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-8724 affects K7Computing Pvt Ltd K7AntiVirus Premium version 15.1.0.53 and represents a critical access control flaw that enables local privilege escalation. This issue resides within the K7TSMngr.exe component which serves as a system management service responsible for handling various security operations. The flaw stems from insufficient authorization checks and improper privilege validation mechanisms that allow unauthorized local users to exploit the service and elevate their system privileges. The vulnerability manifests when the service fails to properly verify the identity and permissions of requesting processes, creating an avenue for malicious actors to manipulate the system's security controls. This type of flaw directly aligns with CWE-284 which categorizes improper access control vulnerabilities and demonstrates how inadequate privilege management can lead to unauthorized system access. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires only local system access to exploit, making it accessible to users who already have basic login credentials.
The technical implementation of this access control failure involves the K7TSMngr.exe service failing to validate whether incoming requests originate from legitimate authorized processes or potentially malicious local applications. When the service processes requests without proper authentication checks, it inadvertently allows local users to craft specific requests that bypass normal security boundaries. This weakness can be exploited through various techniques including process injection, direct service manipulation, or by leveraging the service's own functionality against itself. The service likely operates with elevated privileges to perform its anti-virus management functions but fails to maintain proper access control boundaries when processing external requests. This vulnerability creates a direct pathway for privilege escalation as the compromised service can be manipulated to execute arbitrary code with higher privileges than the initiating user. The flaw represents a classic example of insufficient privilege separation and demonstrates how system services should properly validate all incoming requests regardless of their origin.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to potentially enable full system compromise by malicious actors. Local attackers who exploit this flaw can gain administrative privileges on the affected system, providing them with complete control over the machine's resources and data. This escalation capability allows attackers to modify system configurations, install additional malware, access sensitive user data, and potentially establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability affects any local user who can interact with the system, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments or shared computing scenarios. Organizations using this anti-virus software are exposed to risks that could lead to data breaches, system corruption, or unauthorized access to corporate networks. The impact is further amplified because the service is designed to operate with elevated privileges for legitimate security functions, meaning that exploitation directly compromises the very protection mechanisms the software is meant to provide. This type of vulnerability can also serve as a foothold for lateral movement within network environments, as attackers can use the elevated privileges to access other systems or escalate their access further.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-8724 should focus on immediate patching of the affected K7AntiVirus Premium software to version 15.1.0.54 or later which addresses the access control flaw. System administrators should implement the principle of least privilege by ensuring that the K7TSMngr.exe service operates with minimal required permissions rather than elevated privileges. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit local user access to critical system components. Regular security audits should verify that services are properly configured and that access controls are appropriately enforced. Monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual service access patterns or privilege escalation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider disabling unnecessary services and implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized execution of potentially malicious code. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK tactic T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) indicates that defensive measures should include endpoint detection and response capabilities that can identify suspicious service manipulation activities. Security teams should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar access control weaknesses in other system components and ensure that proper input validation and privilege checking mechanisms are in place throughout the system architecture.