CVE-2022-50933
Unquoted Service Path in Cain & Abel Enables Privilege Escalation
Publication date: 2026-01-13
Last updated on: 2026-02-02
Assigner: VulnCheck
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| unknown_vendor | cain_and_abel | 4.9.56 |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-428 | The product uses a search path that contains an unquoted element, in which the element contains whitespace or other separators. This can cause the product to access resources in a parent path. |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
CVE-2022-50933 is an unquoted service path vulnerability in Cain & Abel version 4.9.56. This flaw occurs because the service binary path is not enclosed in quotes, allowing local attackers to place malicious executables in certain path locations. When the service starts, it may execute these malicious files with elevated LocalSystem privileges, enabling arbitrary code execution. [2, 3]
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can allow a local attacker to escalate their privileges to LocalSystem level by executing arbitrary code. This means an attacker with local access could gain full control over the affected system, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system and its data. [2, 3]
How can this vulnerability be detected on my network or system? Can you suggest some commands?
You can detect this vulnerability by checking for unquoted service paths in the Cain & Abel service configuration. Specifically, inspect the service named "Abel" and verify if its binary path is unquoted, such as "C:\Program Files (x86)\Cain\Abel64.exe" without quotes. On a Windows system, you can use the command: sc qc Abel to query the service configuration and look for unquoted paths. Additionally, you can use PowerShell to list services with unquoted paths by running: Get-WmiObject win32_service | Where-Object { $_.PathName -match ' ' -and $_.PathName -notmatch '^".*"$' } | Select-Object Name, PathName [2, 3]
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
To mitigate this vulnerability, immediately update the service configuration to enclose the binary path in quotes to prevent malicious executable injection. For the Cain & Abel service "Abel", modify the service path to be quoted, e.g., ""C:\Program Files (x86)\Cain\Abel64.exe"". Alternatively, restrict local user permissions to prevent unauthorized users from placing executables in the service path directories. If possible, update or patch Cain & Abel to a version that addresses this vulnerability or remove the vulnerable service if it is not needed. [2, 3]