Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-47825 is a local privilege escalation issue in Acer Updater Service 1.2.3500.0. A user already on an affected Windows system may be able to make malicious code run as LocalSystem when the service starts. This is not a remote entry point, but it can turn limited access into full device control.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation on shared workstations, kiosks, and endpoints where users lack administrative rights. The issue is high impact after local access, but it is not documented as remotely exploitable or actively exploited in the supplied sources.
Technical view
The vulnerability is CWE-428, an unquoted service path in UpdaterService.exe under C:\Program Files\Acer\Acer Updater\. The CVSS 4.0 score is 8.5, with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact on the vulnerable system.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Windows endpoints running Acer Updater Service version 1.2.3500.0. Systems without this service or version are not shown as affected in the provided sources.
Exploitation context
A public Exploit-DB entry exists, but the source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. Exploitation requires local access with low privileges and depends on service startup behavior and writable path conditions.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports a high-severity local privilege escalation in one Acer Updater Service version. Patch status is not provided in the source bundle. Treat Exploit-DB as public exploit availability, not proof of active exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Identify endpoints with Acer Updater Service 1.2.3500.0 installed.
- Check Acer guidance for updates, removal instructions, or vendor-supported remediation.
- Remove or disable the updater where business-approved and not required.
- Harden permissions on service paths and parent directories.
- Monitor for unexpected executables in Acer updater directories.
Validation and detection
- Confirm the installed Acer Updater Service version.
- Inspect the service executable path for unquoted spaces.
- Verify the service runs with LocalSystem privileges.
- Check whether low-privileged users can write to relevant path locations.
- Review endpoint telemetry for suspicious service-start execution.
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-2021-47825 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-49890CVE reference · exploit
- Acer Official HomepageCVE reference · product
- VulnCheck Advisory: Acer Updater Service 1.2.3500.0 - 'UpdaterService.exe' 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.