CVE-2022-31466
📋 TL;DR
A Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerability in Quick Heal Total Security allows local attackers to escalate privileges by replacing malicious files with symbolic links between detection and quarantine actions. This could lead to deletion of system files or other malicious activities. Only affects Quick Heal Total Security users on Windows systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- Quick Heal Total Security
📦 What is this software?
Total Security by Quickheal
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise via privilege escalation leading to arbitrary file deletion, system instability, or installation of persistent malware.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing attackers to delete protected system files or modify security settings.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper access controls and monitoring are in place, though privilege escalation risk remains.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and timing precision to replace files between detection and quarantine operations.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 12.1.1.27 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://softwaresec001.wordpress.com/2022/05/13/privilege-escalation-vulnerability-in-quick-heal-total-security/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Quick Heal Total Security. 2. Navigate to Settings > Update. 3. Click 'Check for Updates'. 4. Install version 12.1.1.27 or later. 5. Restart the system.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Real-Time Protection
windowsTemporarily disable real-time scanning to prevent the TOCTOU race condition, though this reduces security.
Open Quick Heal > Settings > Real-Time Protection > Toggle Off
Restrict User Privileges
windowsLimit local user accounts to standard user privileges to reduce impact of successful exploitation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls and monitor for suspicious file operations
- Consider replacing Quick Heal Total Security with an alternative antivirus solution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Quick Heal version in the application interface or via 'About' section. If version is below 12.1.1.27, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Open Quick Heal Total Security and navigate to Help > About Quick HealVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 12.1.1.27 or higher in Quick Heal interface and ensure real-time protection is functioning normally.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple rapid file creation/deletion events in system logs
- Symlink creation in protected directories
- Quick Heal quarantine failures
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local privilege escalation vulnerability
SIEM Query:
EventID=4663 AND ObjectType="File" AND Accesses="DELETE" AND ProcessName="*QuickHeal*"