Cyber Resilience

CVE-2020-37060

Public PoC
Published
30 January 2026
Modified
15 April 2026
CVSS Score v4 8.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS: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:X
EPSS Score 0.0016 6th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2020-37060 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability in Drive Software (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception by Unquoted Path (T1574.009); ranked at the 6th 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 CM-6 (Configuration Settings) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) — 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-2020-37060 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Atomic Alarm Clock 6.3, stemming from an unquoted service path in its service configuration (CWE-428). This flaw enables attackers to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H) and was published on 2026-01-30.

Local attackers with low privileges can exploit the unquoted service path by placing a malicious executable named 'Program.exe' in a specific directory, causing the service to execute it instead of the legitimate binary upon startup. This achieves arbitrary code execution with SYSTEM privileges, enabling persistent system-level access.

Advisories, including those from VulnCheck and an Exploit-DB entry (48352), detail the unquoted service path issue in Atomic Alarm Clock. The vendor site is available at drive-software.com.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Atomic Alarm Clock 6.3 contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability in its service configuration that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. Attackers can exploit the unquoted service path by placing a malicious executable named 'Program.exe' to gain…

more

persistent system-level access.

CWE(s)
CWE-428

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1574.009 Path Interception by Unquoted Path Stealth
Adversaries may execute their own malicious payloads by hijacking vulnerable file path references.
attack.mitre.org →
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
attack.mitre.org →
Why these techniques?

Unquoted service path (CWE-428) directly enables path interception for privilege escalation to SYSTEM via malicious executable placement.

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2016-20058Shared CWE-428
CVE-2019-25261Shared CWE-428
CVE-2019-25287Shared CWE-428
CVE-2020-37030Shared CWE-428
CVE-2019-25271Shared CWE-428
CVE-2019-25281Shared CWE-428
CVE-2019-25273Shared CWE-428
CVE-2020-37037Shared CWE-428
CVE-2016-20057Shared CWE-428
CVE-2019-25345Shared CWE-428

Affected Assets

Drive Software
—
inferred from references and description; NVD did not file a CPE for this CVE

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)
  • SI-2 Flaw Remediation
  • CM-6 Configuration Settings
  • AC-6 Least Privilege
Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

—

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Directly requires identification, reporting, and correction of flaws like CVE-2020-37060, including patching the unquoted service path or removing the vulnerable service.

CM-6 Configuration Settings good match
prevent

Mandates secure configuration settings for system components, ensuring service executable paths are quoted and parent directories are protected from unauthorized writes.

AC-6 Least Privilege partial match
prevent

Enforces least privilege for accounts and processes, allowing the service to run with minimal necessary privileges to reduce the impact of escalation to SYSTEM.

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.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

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.

A.8.29 Security testing in development and acceptance mostly match
detects

Security testing in development can detect unquoted search-path issues before deployment.

A.8.19 Installation of software on operational systems partial match
degrades

Enforcing controlled software installation can prevent unquoted search-path elements in executables and scripts.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure development lifecycle practices include input validation and path handling that reduce unquoted search-path weaknesses.

A.8.27 Secure system architecture and engineering principles partial match
degrades

Secure system architecture and engineering principles require safe path construction and quoting conventions.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding standards directly mandate quoting search paths and avoiding unsafe path construction.

A.8.32 Change management partial match
degrades

Change-management processes can enforce review of path-handling changes that might introduce unquoted elements.

References