CVE-2019-17190: High severity avg secure browser vulnerability
A Local Privilege Escalation issue was discovered in Avast Secure Browser 76.0.1659.101. The vulnerability is due to an insecure ACL set by the AvastBrowserUpdate.exe (which is running as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM) when AvastSecureBrowser.exe checks for new updates. When the update check is triggered, the elevated process cleans the ACL of the Update.ini file in %PROGRAMDATA%\Avast Software\Browser\Update\ and sets all privileges to group Everyone. Because any low-privileged user can create, delete, or modify the Update.ini file stored in this location, an attacker with low privileges can create a hard link named Update.ini in this folder, and make it point to a file writable by NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. Once AvastBrowserUpdate.exe is triggered by the update check functionality, the DACL is set to a misconfigured value on the crafted Update.ini and, consequently, to the target file that was previously not writable by the low-privileged attacker.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the vulnerability ID of this issue?
The vulnerability ID of this issue is CVE-2019-17190.
What is the severity of CVE-2019-17190?
The severity of CVE-2019-17190 is high with a score of 7.8.
What is the affected software version?
The affected software version is Avast Secure Browser 76.0.1659.101.
How does the vulnerability manifest in Avast Secure Browser?
The vulnerability manifests as a local privilege escalation issue in Avast Secure Browser.
Is there a fix available for CVE-2019-17190?
Yes, there may be a fix available for CVE-2019-17190. Please refer to the vendor's website or security advisories for information on patches or updates.