HelpuviewerApplication · Helpu

CVE-2020-7867

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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
An improper input validation vulnerability in Helpu solution could allow a local attacker to arbitrary file creation and execution without click file transfer menu. It is possible to file in arbitrary directory for user because the viewer program receive the file from agent with privilege of administrator.

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 confidence

This vulnerability in Helpu solution allows a local attacker to achieve arbitrary file creation and execution without user interaction through the file transfer menu. The viewer program accepts files from an agent component running with administrator privileges without proper input validation, enabling files to be placed in arbitrary directories on the system.

MitigationImplement strict input validation on the file receiver to verify file paths, prevent path traversal attacks, and validate file types before allowing file creation. Additionally, reduce the privilege level of the file reception process to minimize the impact of exploitation.

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
HelpuviewerApplication
Affected:= 2018.5.21.0

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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. Identify Helpuviewer installation
    Search for Helpuviewer executable or check program files for Helpu Helpuviewer directory. Common paths: C:\Program Files\Helpu\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Helpu\
    Affected if Helpuviewer is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed version
    Right-click the Helpuviewer executable, select Properties, then view the Details tab for File Version. Alternatively, run: Get-Item 'C:\Program Files\Helpu\Helpuviewer.exe' | Select-Object VersionInfo
    Affected if Version equals exactly 2018.5.21.0
  3. Verify file transfer feature is enabled
    Check Helpuviewer configuration files or settings menu for file transfer functionality. Look for settings related to file reception, file transfer, or agent communication.
    Affected if File transfer or file reception feature is configured or enabled
  4. Check for agent component
    Review running processes for Helpu agent components or check services for Helpu-related entries. Look for processes named hAgent, HelpuAgent, or similar.
    Affected if A Helpu agent component is installed and running with elevated privileges

System is affected only if Helpuviewer version 2018.5.21.0 is installed with the file transfer feature enabled and an agent component configured to receive files from admin-level processes.

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

Implement strict input validation on the file receiver to verify file paths, prevent path traversal attacks, and validate file types before allowing file creation. Additionally, reduce the privilege level of the file reception process to minimize the impact of exploitation.

Fix this in Helpuviewer Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
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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-2020-7867 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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