CVE-2024-23773
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 delete vulnerability exists in the KSchedulerSvc.exe component. Local attackers can delete 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 · moderate confidenceA local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the KSchedulerSvc.exe component of Quest KACE Agent for Windows versions 12.0.38 and 13.1.23.0. Attackers with local system access can exploit an arbitrary file delete flaw to remove any file on the system with NT Authority\SYSTEM privileges, potentially allowing deletion of critical system files or configurations to facilitate further compromise.
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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify KACE Agent installationCheck for the presence of KACE Agent in system directories: Look for 'C:\Program Files\Quest\KACE\' or query the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Quest\KACEAffected if The KACE Agent directory or registry keys do not exist - the system is not affected. If found, continue to version check.
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Determine installed KACE Agent versionOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features, or query: 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\KACE" /v DisplayVersion' or inspect the version of KSchedulerSvc.exe file propertiesAffected if The installed version matches 12.0.38 or 13.1.23.0, or is an earlier version number in these release branches - the system is likely affected. Patched versions will be higher.
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Confirm KSchedulerSvc.exe service existsRun 'sc query KSchedulerSvc' or check Services.msc for a service named 'KACE KScheduler Service' or similar KACE scheduler serviceAffected if The service exists and is running - the vulnerability is present in the attack surface. If the service is not installed, the system is not affected.
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Verify service runs with elevated privilegesRun 'sc qc KSchedulerSvc' (or the actual service name) to check the binary path, then 'tasklist /svc | findstr KScheduler' to confirm it's running under NT Authority\SYSTEMAffected if The service runs as SYSTEM or another high-privilege account - conditions for exploitation exist. This is required for the privilege escalation to work.
The system is affected if Quest KACE Agent versions 12.0.38 or 13.1.23.0 (or earlier versions) are installed and the KSchedulerSvc.exe service is present and running.
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 dataUpgrade Quest KACE Agent to a patched version that addresses this vulnerability, and restrict local system access to trusted personnel only.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-23773 — 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-2024-23773 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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