CVE-2025-69875
Product: Quick Heal Total Security
Affected Version: 23.0.0
Vulnerability Type: Local Privilege Escalation
Impact: SYSTEM-level access
CVSS v3.1 Score: 7.8 (High)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Exploitability: High
Exploit Availability: Public Proof-of-Concept reported
Overview
A local privilege escalation vulnerability has been identified in Quick Heal Total Security version 23.0.0. The issue resides in the product’s quarantine restore mechanism. Due to improper validation and permission handling during file restoration, a low-privileged local user can cause files to be written into protected system directories. Because the restore operation is performed by a privileged Quick Heal service, this behavior can be abused to gain SYSTEM-level execution on the affected host.
The vulnerability does not require network access and can be triggered entirely from a local context. When successfully exploited, full compromise of the operating system becomes possible.
Affected Component
- Quarantine management and restore functionality
- Privileged Quick Heal background services responsible for file operations
Root Cause
During the quarantine restore process, insufficient checks are applied to the destination path and file permissions. As a result:
- Restore paths are not adequately restricted to user-controlled directories
- Privileged services perform file writes without enforcing strict access control
- Files restored from quarantine may inherit elevated permissions
This combination allows a non-administrative user to indirectly perform privileged write operations.
Exploitation Details
Exploitation is achieved locally by abusing the quarantine restore feature. The general exploitation flow is as follows:
- A standard user interacts with the Quick Heal quarantine interface or underlying restore logic.
- A crafted restore request causes a quarantined file to be placed in a protected directory.
- The file is written by a Quick Heal service running with elevated privileges.
- The placed file is later executed or loaded by the system or another privileged process.
- Execution occurs in the SYSTEM security context, resulting in privilege escalation.
No exploitation over the network is possible. No user interaction beyond local access is required.
Impact
Successful exploitation can lead to:
- Full SYSTEM-level code execution
- Installation of persistent malware
- Tampering with security controls
- Credential theft
- Complete host takeover
This vulnerability effectively bypasses Windows privilege boundaries.
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
- T1068 – Exploitation for Privilege Escalation
- T1548 – Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism
Proof-of-Concept Status
Public Proof-of-Concept material has been reported by the security research community.
Such material is intended strictly for educational, defensive validation, and laboratory testing purposes.
It is strongly recommended that any testing be conducted only in isolated, authorized environments.
Detection Strategy
Log Sources Required
- Windows Security Event Logs
- Windows File System Auditing
- Windows Service Creation Logs
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) telemetry
- Quick Heal application and service logs
Detection Rules & Queries
Windows Security Log – Suspicious File Writes
Goal: Identify privileged file writes performed on behalf of non-admin users.
Event IDs: 4663, 4688
Logic:
ProcessName = QuickHeal*
AND TargetFilePath IN ("C:\Windows\System32\*", "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\*")
AND SubjectUser NOT IN ("Administrators", "SYSTEM")
Windows Service Installation Monitoring
Goal: Detect follow-on exploitation behavior.
Event ID: 7045
Logic:
ServiceInstalled = True
AND CreatorProcess = QuickHeal*
Process Execution from Protected Paths
Goal: Identify suspicious execution after file placement.
Event ID: 4688
Logic:
NewProcessName IN ("C:\Windows\System32\*", "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\*")
AND ParentProcessName = QuickHeal*
Quick Heal Application Log Review
Goal: Identify misuse of restore operations.
Indicators:
- Restore operations initiated by standard users
- Restore destination paths outside user profile directories
- Multiple restore attempts in short timeframes
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected executables in system directories
- Recently created files with elevated permissions
- Services or scheduled tasks created shortly after quarantine restore events
- Privileged processes spawned without administrative login activity
Mitigation & Remediation
Immediate Actions
- Upgrade Quick Heal Total Security to a patched version.
- Review recent quarantine restore activity.
- Inspect protected directories for unauthorized files.
- Isolate affected systems if suspicious activity is detected.
Hardening Recommendations
- Restrict local user access where not required.
- Enable advanced file system auditing.
- Ensure EDR rules monitor privileged antivirus processes.
- Limit restore functionality to administrative users only, if configurable.
Official Patch / Upgrade
The vulnerability is addressed through vendor updates released by Quick Heal.
All upgrades and patches should be obtained only from the official Quick Heal update portal:
Official Patch / Upgrade Link:
https://www.quickheal.co.in/quick-heal-antivirus-updates-download
Final Takeaway
CVE-2025-69875 represents a high-impact local privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper permission handling within a trusted security product. While exploitation requires local access, the resulting SYSTEM-level compromise poses significant risk in enterprise and shared-user environments. Prompt patching, log review, and enhanced monitoring are strongly advised to reduce exposure and detect potential abuse.
