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Host AgentApplication · Sap

CVE-2023-0012

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
In SAP Host Agent (Windows) - versions 7.21, 7.22, an attacker who gains local membership to SAP_LocalAdmin could be able to replace executables with a malicious file that will be started under a privileged account. Note that by default all user members of SAP_LocaAdmin are denied the ability to logon locally by security policy so that this can only occur if the system has already been compromised.

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

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in SAP Host Agent on Windows versions 7.21 and 7.22. An attacker with membership in the SAP_LocalAdmin group can replace SAP Host Agent executables with malicious files that will execute under a privileged (SYSTEM) account. The vulnerability relies on the attacker having SAP_LocalAdmin group membership, which by default denies local logon access, meaning exploitation requires an already compromised system.

MitigationRestrict and audit SAP_LocalAdmin group membership to essential personnel only, ensure the default deny-local-logon security policy remains enforced, and upgrade to a patched version of SAP Host Agent. Monitor file integrity of SAP Host Agent executables.

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
Host AgentApplication
Affected:= 7.21= 7.22

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 installed SAP Host Agent version
    Run 'sapcontrol -nr <instance> -function GetVersion' or check the version property of the SAP Host Agent service via Windows Services console
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 7.21 or 7.22
  2. Enumerate SAP_LocalAdmin group members
    Run 'net localgroup SAP_LocalAdmin' from an elevated command prompt or check group membership via Active Directory Users and Computers if domain-joined
    Affected if Any user or group account is listed as a member of SAP_LocalAdmin (excluding built-in administrators if they are automatically members)
  3. Locate SAP Host Agent executable files
    Find the SAP Host Agent installation directory, typically under the SAP system drive (e.g., C:\sap\hostctrl\exe or the path shown in the service properties of SAP Host Agent service)
    Affected if SAP Host Agent executables exist in the identified directory
  4. Verify file integrity of SAP Host Agent executables
    Compare cryptographic hashes (MD5/SHA256) of executable files (e.g., sap host control.exe, sapstartsrv.exe) against known-good baseline values if available, or check file modification timestamps for unexpected changes
    Affected if Hashes do not match baseline values or executable files have been recently modified without authorized change management
  5. Check audit logs for SAP_LocalAdmin group changes
    Review Windows Security event logs for Event ID 4720 (group created), 4728 (member added to security-enabled local group), or 4732 (member added to security-disabled local group) involving SAP_LocalAdmin
    Affected if Group membership changes to SAP_LocalAdmin are present in logs without corresponding approved change requests

You are affected if SAP Host Agent version 7.21 or 7.22 is installed AND any user account has SAP_LocalAdmin group membership, combined with evidence of tampered executables or unauthorized group changes.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict and audit SAP_LocalAdmin group membership to essential personnel only, ensure the default deny-local-logon security policy remains enforced, and upgrade to a patched version of SAP Host Agent. Monitor file integrity of SAP Host Agent executables.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

SAP Host Agent version 7.21 or 7.22 to latest available version (7.23 or later, or latest Support Package Stack)

  1. 1. Identify the current SAP Host Agent version running on Windows systems using: sapcontrol -nr <instance> -function GetVersionInfo or via SAP MMM
  2. 2. Download the latest SAP Host Agent version from the SAP Support Portal (support.sap.com/hostagent)
  3. 3. Schedule a maintenance window to apply the upgrade
  4. 4. Stop the SAP Host Agent service before upgrade: sapcontrol -nr <instance> -function Stop
  5. 5. Upgrade SAP Host Agent using the SAP Host Agent installation/updater package
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful: sapcontrol -nr <instance> -function GetVersionInfo and confirm version is 7.21 or higher (with patch level addressing the vulnerability)
  7. 7. Restart the SAP Host Agent service: sapcontrol -nr <instance> -function Start
Caveat Standard SAP Host Agent upgrade typically has minimal risk; ensure backups and test in non-production first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Host Agent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2023-0012 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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