CVE-2024-23772
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Quest KACE Agent for Windows 12.0.38 and 13.1.23.0. An Arbitrary file create vulnerability exists in the KSchedulerSvc.exe, KUserAlert.exe, and Runkbot.exe components. This allows local attackers to create any file of their choice with NT Authority\SYSTEM privileges.
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 confidenceQuest KACE Agent for Windows versions 12.0.38 and 13.1.23.0 contain an arbitrary file creation vulnerability in KSchedulerSvc.exe, KUserAlert.exe, and Runkbot.exe components. Local authenticated attackers can leverage this flaw to create files of their choosing with NT Authority\SYSTEM privileges, effectively achieving local privilege escalation.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L
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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Verify Quest KACE Agent installationOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check for Quest KACE Agent in the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or HKLM\SOFTWARE\KACEAffected if Quest KACE Agent is not listed in installed programs
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Identify installed KACE Agent versionOpen Task Manager or Services, locate KACE processes, right-click and check Properties for version information. Alternatively, query the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\KACE\Agent\Version or look at the version property of any KACE executable in Program FilesAffected if Installed version is 12.0.38 or 13.1.23.0 (exact match) or falls within the vulnerable range below these fixed versions
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Locate vulnerable componentsSearch for KSchedulerSvc.exe, KUserAlert.exe, and Runkbot.exe in the KACE Agent installation directory (typically under C:\Program Files\Quest\KACE\ or C:\Program Files\Dell\KACE\)Affected if Any of these three executables exist in the KACE installation folder
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Check if vulnerable service is runningOpen Services.msc and look for KACE KScheduler Service, or run 'sc query kschedulersvc' from command prompt to check service statusAffected if KScheduler service exists and is running (indicates the attack surface is active)
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Verify service privilegesRun 'sc qc kschedulersvc' (if service exists) to check the service binary path, or use Process Explorer to view the running process properties and confirm it runs under NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEMAffected if The service runs under SYSTEM or elevated privileges, enabling the privilege escalation vector
If Quest KACE Agent versions 12.0.38 or 13.1.23.0 are installed with KSchedulerSvc.exe, KUserAlert.exe, or Runkbot.exe components present and running, the system is affected by this arbitrary file creation vulnerability.
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 dataApply vendor-supplied patches or upgrade to a fixed version of Quest KACE Agent. Until patches are applied, limit local user access to systems running the affected components and monitor for suspicious file creation activity in system directories.
- Consultation3.0 h
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- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-23772 — 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-2024-23772 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
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