CVE-2022-50923
Published: 13 January 2026
Summary
CVE-2022-50923 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability in Cobiansoft Cobian Backup. 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 9.3th 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 are NIST 800-53 AC-6 (Least Privilege) and CM-6 (Configuration Settings).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2022-50923 is an unquoted service path vulnerability in Cobian Backup 0.9, specifically affecting the CobianReflectorService component. This flaw enables local users to execute arbitrary code with elevated system privileges, as the unquoted binary path allows attackers to inject malicious code that runs with LocalSystem permissions during service startup. 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 maps to CWE-428.
The attack requires local access with low privileges (PR:L) and low complexity (AC:L), with no user interaction needed. An attacker can exploit the unquoted path by placing a malicious executable in a directory that the service resolves before the legitimate binary, leading to execution of arbitrary code under LocalSystem context upon service initiation. This grants high-impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise.
Advisories, including one from Vulncheck, describe the unquoted service path in Cobian Backup, while a public proof-of-concept exploit is available on Exploit-DB (ID 50810). The vendor's site (cobiansoft.com) and download page offer resources that may include updates for mitigation.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-2610
Vulnerability details
Cobian Backup 0.9 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability that allows local users to execute arbitrary code with elevated system privileges. Attackers can exploit the unquoted binary path in the CobianReflectorService to inject malicious code that will execute with LocalSystem…
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permissions during service startup.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Unquoted service path in Windows service directly matches T1574.009 Path Interception by Unquoted Path, enabling local privilege escalation to LocalSystem via malicious executable placement.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
SI-2 requires timely remediation of flaws such as the unquoted service path in CobianReflectorService, preventing arbitrary code execution with LocalSystem privileges upon service startup.
CM-6 enforces secure configuration settings including properly quoted executable paths for services, directly addressing the unquoted path vulnerability in Cobian Backup.
AC-6 applies least privilege to services like CobianReflectorService, reducing the impact of privilege escalation even if malicious code is executed via the unquoted path.