CVE-2016-20057
Netgate Registry Cleaner ≤ 16.0.205
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:XCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2016-20057 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability in Netgate Registry Cleaner. Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked at the 47th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2016-20057 affects NETGATE Registry Cleaner build 16.0.205, specifically an unquoted service path vulnerability in the NGRegClnSrv service. This configuration flaw in the service binary path enables local privilege escalation, as documented with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and mapped to CWE-428.
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability by placing a malicious executable in the unquoted path parsed by the service. Triggering a service restart or system reboot then executes the malicious code with LocalSystem privileges, potentially granting full system compromise.
Advisories and related resources, including the vendor site at http://www.netgate.sk/ and a download page at http://www.netgate.sk/download/download.php?id=4, provide context on the issue. A proof-of-concept exploit is available at https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40539, and further details appear in the VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/netgate-registry-cleaner-build-unquoted-service-path-privilege-escalation.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2016-10864
Vulnerability Data
NETGATE Registry Cleaner build 16.0.205 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in the NGRegClnSrv service that allows local attackers to escalate privileges by exploiting the service binary path. Attackers can place a malicious executable in the unquoted path and trigger…
more
service restart or system reboot to execute code with LocalSystem privileges.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover unquoted search paths through static analysis or dynamic test cases.
Documented development standards and tools can mandate proper quoting and escaping of path elements.
Engineering principles can require safe construction and quoting of search paths and command elements.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent path-handling flaws such as unquoted elements during development.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Enforcing controlled software installation can prevent unquoted search-path elements in executables and scripts.
Secure development lifecycle practices include input validation and path handling that reduce unquoted search-path weaknesses.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles require safe path construction and quoting conventions.
Secure coding standards directly mandate quoting search paths and avoiding unsafe path construction.
Security testing in development can detect unquoted search-path issues before deployment.
Change-management processes can enforce review of path-handling changes that might introduce unquoted elements.