CVE-2019-12042 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

CVE-2019-12042 was published on May 23, 2019, and relates to a vulnerability in Panda products prior to version 18.07.03 that allows attackers to escalate privileges through inadequate permissions.

Understanding CVE-2019-12042

This CVE highlights a security flaw in Panda products that could lead to privilege escalation.

What is CVE-2019-12042?

The vulnerability arises from the inadequate permissions of specific objects and events in Panda products, enabling attackers to exploit this weakness for privilege escalation.

The Impact of CVE-2019-12042

The vulnerability affects various Panda products, including Panda Antivirus, Panda Antivirus Pro, Panda Dome, Panda Global Protection, Panda Gold Protection, and Panda Internet Security.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-12042

This section delves into the technical aspects of the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

Attackers can exploit the inadequate permissions of the Global\PandaDevicesAgentSharedMemory section object and the Global\PandaDevicesAgentSharedMemoryChange event in Panda products prior to version 18.07.03. By queuing an event, which is an encrypted JSON string, in the AgentSvc.exe system service, privilege escalation can occur when the CmdLineExecute event is also queued.

Affected Systems and Versions

Panda Antivirus
Panda Antivirus Pro
Panda Dome
Panda Global Protection
Panda Gold Protection
Panda Internet Security

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability allows attackers to queue an event, encrypted as a JSON string, in the AgentSvc.exe system service, leading to privilege escalation when the CmdLineExecute event is also queued.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2019-12042 is crucial to prevent privilege escalation and potential security breaches.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update Panda products to version 18.07.03 or later to mitigate the vulnerability.
Monitor for any unauthorized access or privilege escalation attempts.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement the principle of least privilege to restrict unnecessary access.
Regularly review and update permissions and access controls.

Patching and Updates

Stay informed about security updates and patches released by Panda Security.