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True ImageApplication · Acronis

CVE-2020-10140

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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 · unedited
Acronis True Image 2021 fails to properly set ACLs of the C:\ProgramData\Acronis directory. Because some privileged processes are executed from the C:\ProgramData\Acronis, an unprivileged user can achieve arbitrary code execution with SYSTEM privileges by placing a DLL in one of several paths within C:\ProgramData\Acronis.

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 · high confidence

Acronis True Image 2021 incorrectly sets access control lists (ACLs) on the C:\ProgramData\Acronis directory, allowing unprivileged users to write files to paths where privileged SYSTEM processes execute. An attacker can plant a malicious DLL that gets loaded by these privileged processes, achieving arbitrary code execution with SYSTEM privileges.

MitigationRestrict write permissions on C:\ProgramData\Acronis to only privileged users and service accounts, removing any write access for standard users or unauthenticated users. Verify that privileged processes do not load DLLs from user-writable locations.

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
True ImageApplication
Affected:= 2021

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Acronis True Image 2021 is installed
    Check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ or look for Acronis True Image 2021 in the list of installed programs via Programs and Features. Alternatively, check if C:\ProgramData\Acronis directory exists.
    Affected if Acronis True Image 2021 is installed and the C:\ProgramData\Acronis directory exists on the system.
  2. Identify if standard users have write access to the Acronis directory
    Open Command Prompt as a standard (non-admin) user and attempt to create a test file in C:\ProgramData\Acronis using: echo test > C:\ProgramData\Acronis\test_write.txt. Or use icacls C:\ProgramData\Acronis to view ACLs and check for write permissions granted to Users or Everyone.
    Affected if Standard unprivileged users can successfully create or modify files in C:\ProgramData\Acronis.
  3. Check for weak ACL configurations on the directory
    Run 'icacls C:\ProgramData\Acronis' from an elevated command prompt and examine the output. Look for entries like 'Everyone:(I)(OI)(CI)(W)' or 'Users:(I)(OI)(CI)(W)' which indicate write permissions for non-privileged groups.
    Affected if The ACLs grant write, modify, or full control permissions to Users, Everyone, orAuthenticated Users groups on the directory.
  4. Verify if DLL planting is possible in the affected path
    List the contents of C:\ProgramData\Acronis to identify subdirectories where DLLs could be placed, such as drivers, libraries, or common application folders. Check if any executable processes from Acronis load DLLs from this location.
    Affected if Writable directories exist under C:\ProgramData\Acronis where a malicious DLL could be placed and subsequently loaded by a privileged Acronis service or process.

A system is affected if Acronis True Image 2021 is installed and the C:\ProgramData\Acronis directory grants write access to unprivileged users, allowing potential DLL planting for privilege escalation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict write permissions on C:\ProgramData\Acronis to only privileged users and service accounts, removing any write access for standard users or unauthenticated users. Verify that privileged processes do not load DLLs from user-writable locations.

Fix this in True Image Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-10140 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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