CVE-2020-21046 in Downloader
Summary
by MITRE • 06/24/2022
A local privilege escalation vulnerability was identified within the "luminati_net_updater_win_eagleget_com" service in EagleGet Downloader version 2.1.5.20 Stable. This issue allows authenticated non-administrative user to escalate their privilege and conduct code execution as a SYSTEM privilege.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/15/2022
This vulnerability represents a critical local privilege escalation flaw in the EagleGet Downloader software ecosystem, specifically targeting the "luminati_net_updater_win_eagleget_com" service component. The issue stems from improper privilege handling within the Windows service architecture where a standard user account can leverage a design flaw to elevate their privileges to SYSTEM level access. The vulnerability exists in version 2.1.5.20 Stable of the EagleGet Downloader application, indicating a software design oversight that permits unauthorized privilege escalation through legitimate service interaction mechanisms. This type of vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and represents a fundamental security flaw in the application's access control implementation.
The technical exploitation mechanism involves a privilege escalation path that allows an authenticated user to manipulate service permissions or execution contexts to gain elevated privileges. The flaw likely resides in how the service handles user authentication tokens or process elevation mechanisms, potentially involving improper access control lists, weak service permissions, or insecure inter-process communication patterns. According to CWE categorization, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-269: "Improper Privilege Management" and may also relate to CWE-787: "Out-of-bounds Write" if the escalation occurs through buffer manipulation. The service's failure to properly validate privilege levels during execution creates an attack surface that adversaries can exploit to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges, effectively bypassing Windows security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides a pathway for attackers to gain complete system control without requiring administrative credentials or complex exploitation techniques. Once exploited, the attacker can execute code with the highest possible privileges, enabling them to install malware, modify system files, access sensitive data, or establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability affects any user who has authenticated to the system and can interact with the affected service, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where standard users might have legitimate access to the application. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068: "Local Privilege Escalation" and potentially T1059: "Command and Scripting Interpreter" as it enables code execution with elevated privileges.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of the affected EagleGet Downloader version to address the privilege escalation flaw. Organizations should implement the principle of least privilege by ensuring that only necessary users have access to the affected service and by regularly auditing service permissions. System administrators should monitor for unusual service execution patterns and implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution. Additionally, the vulnerability highlights the importance of secure service design practices including proper privilege separation, robust access control validation, and regular security assessments of installed software components. The recommended remediation includes updating to a patched version of EagleGet Downloader and conducting comprehensive security audits of similar software components to identify and address potential privilege escalation vectors.