CVE-2020-11081 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A privilege escalation vulnerability in osquery before version 4.4.0 allows local users to hijack the DLL search order, potentially leading to local escalation.

Understanding CVE-2020-11081

This CVE identifies a security issue in osquery that could result in privilege escalation on Windows systems.

What is CVE-2020-11081?

osquery versions prior to 4.4.0 are susceptible to a privilege escalation vulnerability due to the way the software handles DLL loading, specifically zlib1.dll.

The Impact of CVE-2020-11081

The vulnerability enables local users to write a malicious zlib1.dll DLL in a user-writable directory, which osquery will attempt to load, potentially leading to local escalation.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-11081

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

osquery before version 4.4.0 allows local users to exploit a DLL search order hijacking vulnerability, potentially leading to privilege escalation.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: osquery
Vendor: osquery
Versions Affected: < 4.4.0

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: HIGH
Attack Vector: LOCAL
Privileges Required: LOW
User Interaction: REQUIRED
Scope: CHANGED
Integrity Impact: HIGH
Confidentiality Impact: NONE
Availability Impact: NONE

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from this vulnerability requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Upgrade osquery to version 4.4.0 or newer to mitigate the vulnerability.
Avoid user-writable directories in the system's PATH.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and restrict user permissions on critical directories.
Implement secure coding practices to prevent DLL search order hijacking.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely patching and updates for osquery to address security vulnerabilities.