CVE-2019-19741: High severity electronic arts origin vulnerability
Electronic Arts Origin 10.5.55.33574 is vulnerable to local privilege escalation due to arbitrary directory DACL manipulation, a different issue than CVE-2019-19247 and CVE-2019-19248. When Origin.exe connects to the named pipe OriginClientService, the privileged service verifies the client's executable file instead of its in-memory process (which can be significantly different from the executable file due to, for example, DLL injection). Data transmitted over the pipe is encrypted using a static key. Instead of hooking the pipe communication directly via WriteFileEx(), this can be bypassed by hooking the EVPEncryptUpdate() function of libeay32.dll. The pipe takes the command CreateDirectory to create a directory and adjust the directory DACL. Calls to this function can be intercepted, the directory and the DACL can be replaced, and the manipulated DACL is written. Arbitrary DACL write is further achieved by creating a hardlink in a user-controlled directory that points to (for example) a service binary. The DACL is then written to this service binary, which results in escalation of privileges.
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2019-19741?
CVE-2019-19741 has been classified as a local privilege escalation vulnerability.
How does CVE-2019-19741 affect Electronic Arts Origin?
CVE-2019-19741 allows a local attacker to manipulate directory DACLs which can lead to privilege escalation on affected systems.
Which versions of Electronic Arts Origin are impacted by CVE-2019-19741?
CVE-2019-19741 affects Electronic Arts Origin versions up to but not including 10.5.56.33908 on both macOS and Windows platforms.
How do I fix CVE-2019-19741?
To mitigate CVE-2019-19741, update Electronic Arts Origin to version 10.5.56.33908 or later.
Is CVE-2019-19741 a widespread issue?
While CVE-2019-19741 is specific to Electronic Arts Origin, the potential for local privilege escalation makes it a concern for users of affected versions.