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Avast Antivirus EUVDEUVD-2025-210288

| CVE-2025-71326 HIGH
Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428)
2026-06-19 VulnCheck GHSA-qqxm-j467-m9mr
8.5
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: VulnCheck
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain low-privileged local shell
  2. Delivery
    Identify unquoted SecureLine service path
  3. Exploit
    Drop malicious binary at intermediate token (e.g. C:\Program.exe)
  4. Execution
    Trigger service restart or reboot
  5. Persist
    SCM launches attacker binary as LocalSystem
  6. Impact
    Establish SYSTEM-level persistence and lateral movement

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2025 - Insecure Design
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Path quoting
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires local code execution on a Windows host with Avast Antivirus 25.11 installed and the SecureLine service present and configured with an unquoted ImagePath; the attacker must be able to write an executable at one of the intermediate unquoted-path tokens (typically C:\Program.exe or similar within Program Files), which on a default Windows install means write permission to the drive root or to an intermediate Program Files subdirectory. The attacker also needs a way to cause the service to (re)start - either privileges to restart the service, a triggerable restart, or waiting for a system reboot. No user interaction is required (UI:N) and no network access is needed (AV:L); the limiting factors are the local-only vector and the filesystem ACLs governing the candidate drop paths.

Impact

The supplied CVSS 4.0 vector AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N with high VC/VI/VA accurately reflects a local, low-complexity, low-privilege escalation to full system compromise, scoring 8.5. Publicly available exploit code exists on Exploit-DB, raising operational risk, but the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV and no EPSS score was provided in the input, so this is best treated as a high-impact post-compromise escalation primitive rather than an internet-exposed mass-exploitation target. A non-trivial caveat is that exploitation usually requires the attacker to drop a file at a path such as C:\Program.exe, which on default Windows installs requires Administrators write permission to the drive root - meaning successful exploitation often depends on lax ACLs on intermediate directories or on an already-permissive Program Files parent; defenders should verify drive-root and Program Files ACLs rather than assume any local user can trivially exploit it.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A standard domain user who has already obtained a low-privilege foothold on a Windows endpoint running Avast Antivirus 25.11 drops a malicious binary at an unquoted-path candidate such as C:\Program.exe (where ACLs allow) and then triggers a SecureLine service restart or waits for a reboot; the Service Control Manager launches the attacker binary as LocalSystem, yielding full SYSTEM code execution. Publicly available exploit code on Exploit-DB (52510) demonstrates the technique end-to-end and lowers the skill barrier for adversaries already operating inside the network.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Jun 19, 2026

Local privilege escalation in Avast Antivirus 25.11 allows non-privileged Windows users to execute arbitrary code as SYSTEM by abusing an unquoted service path in the SecureLine service. Publicly available exploit code exists (Exploit-DB 52510), and the issue was reported by VulnCheck; no public exploit identified at time of analysis indicates wider active exploitation, but the low-complexity local vector makes this attractive for post-compromise escalation.

RemediationAI

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis; monitor https://www.avast.com/ and the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/avast-antivirus-unquoted-service-path-privilege-escalation for a fixed build of Avast Antivirus after 25.11 and upgrade once available. As compensating controls, administrators can manually correct the SecureLine service ImagePath in the registry under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services by enclosing the full executable path in double quotes (side effect: the change may be reverted by product auto-update or repair), and audit and tighten NTFS permissions on C:\, C:\Program Files, and C:\Program Files (x86) so that non-administrators cannot create files like Program.exe at intermediate path tokens (side effect: may break poorly-written installers that expect write access to those locations). Where feasible, restrict ability of standard users to start or restart the SecureLine service via SDDL on the service to reduce trigger opportunities, accepting that scheduled restarts or reboots can still fire the exploit.

Affected VersionsENISA

Avast Antivirus 25.11

Affected Packages

euvd avast_antivirus no fix

Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)

Affects your stack

Affects 1 package in euvd

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The vulnerability is a CWE-428 Unquoted Search Path issue in the Windows service that hosts Avast SecureLine (per CPE cpe:2.3:a:avast:avast_antivirus:*). When a Windows service is registered with an ImagePath that contains spaces but is not enclosed in quotes (for example C\:\Program Files\Avast Software\...\service.exe), the Service Control Manager attempts to resolve each space-delimited token as a potential executable, walking from the root of the drive outward. An attacker who can write a binary at one of those intermediate filename candidates (e.g. C:\Program.exe) causes that binary to be launched instead of the legitimate service executable. Because the SecureLine service runs as LocalSystem, the injected process inherits SYSTEM privileges on next service start or reboot.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

Vendor (VulnCheck) PRIMARY 8.5 HIGH
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
vuln.today AI 7.8 HIGH

Local attacker with low privileges abuses an unquoted service path to gain SYSTEM, yielding full C/I/A impact with no user interaction and low complexity.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (VulnCheck).

CVSS VectorVendor: VulnCheck

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Attack Requirements
None
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
High
Vulnerable system: Integrity
High
Vulnerable system: Availability
High
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
None
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

AVAST Antivirus 25.11 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in the SecureLine service that allows local non-privileged users to execute code with elevated SYSTEM privileges. Attackers can exploit the unquoted binary path in the service configuration to inject malicious executables that execute with high-level system permissions.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Avast Antivirus 25.11 contains an exploitable local privilege escalation (CVSS 8.5) that allows any Windows user to gain full system control, creating a critical post-compromise risk vector that could enable attackers to persist and expand control across all affected endpoints in the organization.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: disable Avast SecureLine service where business operations permit; enforce principle of least privilege and restrict local administrator accounts; implement real-time process execution monitoring and behavioral detection for abnormal privilege escalation attempts; establish daily review of access logs for exploitation indicators; evaluate temporary AV product substitution for highest-risk endpoints pending patch availability.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 97% exploitable
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Social Media
1
Sightings
Data Quality
7 sources
Confidence: High
EUVD NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment CIRCL Exploit-DB VulDB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC Yes
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision
Scheduled
Exploitation
Poc
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

62
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +42
PoC: +20
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Code Injection CRITICAL

Code injection occurs when an application accepts user input and passes it directly into a language interpreter or evaluator without proper sanitization.

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