CVE-2022-50924
Published: 13 January 2026
Summary
CVE-2022-50924 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability in Privateinternetaccess (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 7.9th 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 CM-6 (Configuration Settings) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
Private Internet Access (PIA) version 3.3 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability, classified as CVE-2022-50924 and mapped to CWE-428. This flaw affects the service configuration in the software, where the absence of quotes around the executable path enables local privilege escalation. The vulnerability has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.4 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), highlighting its high impact potential due to low complexity and no prerequisite privileges.
Local users with access to the system can exploit this vulnerability by placing a malicious executable in a directory that precedes the legitimate service binary in the system's PATH search order. Upon service startup, the injected code executes with LocalSystem privileges, granting attackers full control over the system, including high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts.
Advisories and resources, including those from VulnCheck at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/private-internet-access-pia-service-unquoted-service-path, detail the issue, while an exploit is publicly available at https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/50804. Vendor pages at https://www.privateinternetaccess.com and https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/download provide context for updates, though specific patch details are referenced there. The CVE was published on 2026-01-13.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-2607
Vulnerability details
Private Internet Access 3.3 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability that allows local users to potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated system privileges. Attackers can exploit the unquoted path in the service configuration to inject malicious code that would execute…
more
with LocalSystem permissions during service startup.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Unquoted service path directly enables path interception by placing malicious binaries earlier in PATH, executed at service start with SYSTEM privileges.
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires identification, reporting, and correction of flaws like the unquoted service path vulnerability in Private Internet Access 3.3 to prevent exploitation.
Mandates establishment and implementation of secure configuration settings for system components, directly preventing unquoted paths in service binaries.
Enforces least privilege for service accounts, limiting the impact of local privilege escalation even if the unquoted path is exploited.