CVE-2025-57227
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to escalate privileges by exploiting an unquoted service path in Kingosoft Technology Ltd Kingo ROOT software. Attackers can place a malicious executable in a parent folder that the service path references, which will execute with elevated privileges when the service starts. This affects users running Kingo ROOT v1.5.8.3353 on Windows systems.
💻 Affected Systems
- Kingosoft Technology Ltd Kingo ROOT
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with SYSTEM/administrator privileges, allowing installation of persistent malware, credential theft, and lateral movement across the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation from a standard user to administrator/SYSTEM level, enabling installation of additional malware, disabling security controls, or accessing protected data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper file permissions restrict write access to service directories and parent folders, and if endpoint protection blocks suspicious executable creation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit requires local access to the system. The vulnerability is straightforward to exploit once an attacker gains initial access as a standard user.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Not available
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. Consider workarounds or alternative software.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Quote Service Path
windowsModify the Kingo ROOT service to use quoted paths in the service executable path
sc config "Kingo ROOT Service" binPath= "\"C:\Program Files\Kingosoft\Kingo ROOT\kingoroot.exe\""
Restrict Folder Permissions
windowsSet strict ACLs on parent directories to prevent unauthorized users from creating executable files
icacls "C:\Program Files\Kingosoft" /deny Users:(OI)(CI)W
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove Kingo ROOT software from production systems if not essential
- Implement strict file integrity monitoring on service directories and parent folders
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if Kingo ROOT service path is unquoted: sc qc "Kingo ROOT Service" | findstr BINARY_PATH_NAMECheck Version:
Check installed version in Control Panel > Programs and Features or via wmic product where name="Kingo ROOT" get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify service path is quoted and parent directories have restricted write permissions📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected executable creation in Kingosoft parent directories
- Kingo ROOT service starting with unusual parent process
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Kingo ROOT service
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent_process contains 'services.exe' and process_path contains 'Kingosoft' and not process_path contains 'kingoroot.exe'