Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2020-37037 is a local privilege escalation issue in Avast SecureLine 5.5.522.0. A user who already has local access could abuse an improperly quoted Windows service path to run code with LocalSystem privileges when the service starts. This is not a remote break-in by itself, but it can worsen a workstation compromise.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for endpoint hygiene, especially on systems used by administrators or shared users. It requires local access, but successful abuse could give an attacker full system control after an initial foothold.
Technical view
The issue is CWE-428, an unquoted search path or element in the Avast SecureLine service configuration. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates local access, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the vulnerable system.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to systems running Avast SecureLine version 5.5.522.0 with the vulnerable service configuration. The provided sources do not identify other affected Avast products or versions.
Exploitation context
The source bundle references ExploitDB entry 48249, indicating public exploit information exists. CISA KEV status is false in the provided data, so there is no cited evidence here of active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
Sources identify Avast SecureLine 5.5.522.0 and CWE-428. The provided materials do not name a vendor advisory, fixed version, or official mitigation. Avoid assuming broader version impact without confirming service configuration and vendor guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Identify endpoints running Avast SecureLine 5.5.522.0.
- Check Avast guidance for fixed versions or supported remediation.
- Upgrade or remove the affected version where business need is low.
- Restrict local user access on systems until remediated.
- Prioritize remediation on shared workstations and privileged-user endpoints.
Validation and detection
- Inventory installed Avast SecureLine versions across managed endpoints.
- Review the SecureLine Windows service path configuration for unquoted paths.
- Confirm whether the installed version is 5.5.522.0.
- After remediation, verify the service path is safely quoted or otherwise corrected.
- Monitor endpoint telemetry for suspicious privilege escalation activity.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-428: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-37037 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.5 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
8.5HighVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- ExploitDB-48249CVE reference · exploit
- Avast Official HomepageCVE reference · product
- VulnCheck Advisory: AVAST SecureLine 5.5.522.0 - 'SecureLine' Unquoted Service PathCVE reference · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Unquoted Search Path or Element
Unquoted Search Path or Element represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.