CVE-2022-44732 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability identified in Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office for Windows versions prior to build 39900. The root cause of this vulnerability is insecure folder permissions, which fall under the CWE-269 category (Improper Privilege Management). Specifically, the affected software improperly restricts access to certain directories, allowing a local attacker with limited privileges to escalate their rights on the system. The vulnerability requires local access and some user interaction, as indicated by the CVSS vector (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R). Exploiting this flaw could allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges, potentially leading to full system compromise, including unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of system files, and disruption of system availability. The CVSS v3.0 base score of 7.3 (high severity) reflects the significant impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, combined with relatively low attack complexity and the need for limited privileges and user interaction. No known exploits have been reported in the wild as of the publication date (November 7, 2022), but the vulnerability remains a critical concern for users of the affected product. Since Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is widely used for personal and small business backup and recovery solutions, the vulnerability poses a risk especially in environments where local user accounts are shared or less strictly controlled. The lack of a patch link suggests that remediation may require updating to a fixed build or applying vendor-provided mitigations once available.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-44732 can be significant, particularly for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and home office users relying on Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office for data backup and recovery. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized privilege escalation, enabling attackers to access or modify sensitive data, disrupt backup operations, or install persistent malware. This could result in data loss, operational downtime, and potential regulatory non-compliance, especially under GDPR requirements for data protection. The threat is heightened in environments where endpoint security controls are weak or where multiple users share local accounts. Additionally, organizations with remote or hybrid workforces using this software on Windows endpoints may face increased exposure. Although no active exploits are currently known, the vulnerability's high severity and ease of exploitation make it a credible risk vector for insider threats or malware that gains initial local access. The compromise of backup software is particularly concerning as it could undermine recovery capabilities following ransomware or other cyber incidents.

1. Immediate upgrade to Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office build 39900 or later once available, as this will contain the fix for the insecure folder permissions. 2. In the interim, restrict local user permissions rigorously, ensuring that only trusted users have local access to affected systems. 3. Implement application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious privilege escalation attempts. 4. Harden Windows folder permissions manually by reviewing and correcting access rights on Acronis installation directories to prevent unauthorized modification or access. 5. Enforce strict user account control policies, including disabling unnecessary local accounts and enforcing strong authentication mechanisms. 6. Educate users about the risks of executing untrusted applications or scripts that could trigger privilege escalation. 7. Regularly audit system logs for signs of privilege escalation or unusual activity related to Acronis processes. 8. Consider network segmentation to limit the spread of potential local exploits and isolate critical backup infrastructure. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on immediate manual permission hardening and proactive monitoring until the official patch is applied.