CVE-2019-16860
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedCode42 app through version 7.0.2 for Windows has an Untrusted Search Path. In certain situations, a non-administrative attacker on the local machine could create or modify a dynamic-link library (DLL). The Code42 service could then load it at runtime, and potentially execute arbitrary code at an elevated privilege on the local machine.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThe Code42 app through version 7.0.2 for Windows contains an Untrusted Search Path vulnerability. A non-administrative local attacker can place or modify a malicious dynamic-link library (DLL) in a location where the Code42 service will load it at runtime, leading to arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 7.0.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if Code42 app is installedOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Select-Object Name, Version' in PowerShell to list installed softwareAffected if Code42 app appears in the installed programs list
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Determine installed Code42 versionIn Programs and Features, note the version column for Code42, or check the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ for Code42 entryAffected if Version displayed is 7.0.2 or lower
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Verify Code42 service is runningOpen Services console (services.msc) and locate the Code42 service, or run 'Get-Service -Name *Code42*' in PowerShellAffected if Code42 service status shows as Running
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Check directory permissions for DLL planting vectorsInspect permissions on the Code42 installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Code42 or C:\Program Files (x86)\Code42) and subdirectories using icacls or file properties Security tabAffected if Users without admin rights can write to directories where the service loads DLLs (World-writable or weak ACLs on bin, lib, or working directories)
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Identify DLL search path locationsRun 'Get-Process -Name *Code42* | Select-Object -First 1 | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Path' to find the executable, then use Process Monitor (ProcMon) from Sysinternals to trace DLL load locations during Code42 service startupAffected if Service loads DLLs from user-writable directories in the search order (current directory, application directory, system paths)
You are affected if Code42 version 7.0.2 or earlier is installed AND the Code42 service is running AND low-privilege users can write to directories from which the service loads DLLs.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpdate to a patched version of Code42 (version 7.0.3 or later). Additionally, implement secure DLL loading practices by using absolute paths and restricting directory permissions to prevent unauthorized DLL placement.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-16860 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-16860 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data