CVE-2019-16913
7.8 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2019-16913 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting pcprotect antivirus. It was published on October 7, 2019 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
PC Protect Antivirus v4.14.31 installs by default to %PROGRAMFILES(X86)%\PCProtect with very weak folder permissions, granting any user full permission "Everyone: (F)" to the contents of the directory and its subfolders. In addition, the program installs a service called SecurityService that runs as LocalSystem. This allows any user to escalate privileges to "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM" by substituting the service's binary with a Trojan horse.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from pcprotect. Update antivirus to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2019-16913?
CVE-2019-16913 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting pcprotect antivirus. It was published on October 7, 2019 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2019-16913?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, rated HIGH. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2019-16913?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from pcprotect. Update antivirus to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2019-16913?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2019-16913 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
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