dbcve.org
Automation ManagerApplication · N Able

CVE-2023-37244

HIGH · 7.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.91.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
72/100
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
The affected AutomationManager.AgentService.exe application contains a TOCTOU race condition vulnerability that allows standard users to create a pseudo-symlink at C:\ProgramData\N-Able Technologies\AutomationManager\Temp, which could be leveraged by an attacker to manipulate the process into performing arbitrary file deletions. We recommend upgrading to version 2.91.0.0

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

A TOCTOU race condition in AutomationManager.AgentService.exe allows standard users to create pseudo-symlinks in C:\ProgramData\N-Able Technologies\AutomationManager\Temp. This enables manipulation of the service process to delete arbitrary files on the system.

MitigationUpgrade N-Able AutomationManager to version 2.91.0.0 or later to resolve the race condition vulnerability.

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
Automation ManagerApplication
Affected:< 2.91.0.0

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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. Confirm Automation Manager installation and version
    Check the installed version of N-Able Automation Manager via Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\N-Able Technologies\AutomationManager (or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\N-Able Technologies\AutomationManager) for the Version value, or use 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell against the installation directory if known.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 2.91.0.0 or the version cannot be determined (product may still be present).
  2. Verify vulnerable directory exists
    Check if the directory C:\ProgramData\N-Able Technologies\AutomationManager\Temp exists on the system using 'Test-Path' or 'dir' command.
    Affected if The directory exists and is writable by standard users, which is required for the symlink attack vector.
  3. Check service executable presence
    Locate AutomationManager.AgentService.exe in the installation directory (typically under C:\Program Files\N-Able Technologies\AutomationManager or C:\Program Files (x86)\N-Able Technologies\AutomationManager).
    Affected if The executable is present and the service is installed, indicating the vulnerable component is in use.
  4. Assess user permissions on Temp folder
    Use 'icacls C:\ProgramData\N-Able Technologies\AutomationManager\Temp' to inspect ACLs and determine if standard users have write/create permissions.
    Affected if Standard users (Authenticated Users or specific user groups) have write or create symbolic link permissions on the Temp folder.

You are affected if N-Able Automation Manager is installed with a version lower than 2.91.0.0 and the C:\ProgramData\N-Able Technologies\AutomationManager\Temp directory exists with write permissions available to standard users.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.91.0.0 or later
Fixed in 2.91.0.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade N-Able AutomationManager to version 2.91.0.0 or later to resolve the race condition vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.91.0.0

  1. 1. Download Automation Manager version 2.91.0.0 from N-Able Technologies' official download portal or vendor support site
  2. 2. Prior to upgrade, backup any critical configurations and data
  3. 3. Upgrade the Automation Manager installation to version 2.91.0.0 using the vendor's standard upgrade procedure
  4. 4. After upgrade, restart the AutomationManager.AgentService.exe service if it does not start automatically
  5. 5. Verify the service is running and monitor for any issues

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

Fix this in Automation Manager 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
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

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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-2023-37244 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