A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Dup Scout 13.5.28 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by exploiting an unquoted service path in the Windows environment.

The application utilizes an unquoted service path for the Windows service configuration, specifically for the Dup Scout Server and Enterprise executables. Because the path contains spaces and lacks quotation marks, a local attacker with standard privileges can place a malicious executable in a parent directory to hijack the service execution flow.

Successful exploitation of this vulnerability grants a local attacker the ability to execute code with SYSTEM-level privileges. This effectively results in a complete compromise of the host system, allowing for unauthorized data access, the installation of persistent backdoors, or the disruption of critical business services. Given the CVSS score of 7.8, this represents a high-severity risk to local infrastructure integrity.

Immediate Action: As no official patch is currently identified, administrators should manually modify the Windows Service registry keys to include proper quotation marks around the path to the executable. Alternatively, restrict file system permissions on the affected installation directories to prevent unauthorized write access by standard users.

Proactive Monitoring: Monitor Windows Event Logs for unusual service start-up events or the creation of unexpected executable files within the "Program Files" directory structure.

Compensating Controls: Ensure that the principle of least privilege is strictly enforced on all host systems, limiting the ability of standard users to write files to system-level directories.

Public Exploit Available: Yes, a technical proof-of-concept for this vulnerability is documented in the Exploit Database (EDB-ID: 50025).

Organizations running Dup Scout 13.5.28 must prioritize the hardening of service configurations immediately. Because this vulnerability facilitates full system compromise via local privilege escalation, it is essential to restrict directory permissions and apply the recommended registry changes to prevent potential exploitation.