CVE-2024-13944 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability identified in Norton Utilities Ultimate version 24.2.16862.6344 running on Windows 10 Pro x64. The vulnerability arises from a time-of-check to time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the NortonUtilitiesSvc service. Specifically, the flaw involves improper handling of symbolic links during security checks and subsequent operations, allowing a local attacker to create a malicious symbolic link that can be leveraged to escalate privileges. By exploiting this TOCTOU race condition, an attacker with limited privileges can execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM-level privileges, effectively gaining full control over the affected system. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-367, which pertains to TOCTOU race conditions, a common class of bugs where a system's state changes between the time it is checked and the time it is used, leading to security bypasses. The CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (high severity) reflects the vulnerability's significant impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, combined with relatively low attack complexity and the requirement of only local privileges without user interaction. No known public exploits have been reported yet, and no patches have been linked at the time of this report, indicating that organizations using this product should prioritize mitigation and monitoring. The vulnerability affects Norton Utilities Ultimate, a system optimization and maintenance tool widely used in enterprise and consumer environments, particularly on Windows 10 platforms.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a serious risk as it allows local attackers—potentially malicious insiders or compromised low-privilege accounts—to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level. This can lead to full system compromise, unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of critical services, and the potential deployment of further malware or ransomware. Given the widespread use of Norton Utilities Ultimate in both personal and enterprise environments across Europe, exploitation could affect endpoint security, data integrity, and operational continuity. The ability to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges undermines trust in endpoint security solutions and could facilitate lateral movement within corporate networks. Additionally, organizations subject to strict data protection regulations such as GDPR may face compliance risks if this vulnerability leads to data breaches or unauthorized data access.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting local user permissions to the minimum necessary, limiting the number of users with local access to systems running Norton Utilities Ultimate. 2. Employ application whitelisting and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious symbolic link creation and unusual privilege escalation attempts. 3. Until an official patch is released, consider temporarily disabling or uninstalling Norton Utilities Ultimate on critical systems where feasible. 4. Implement strict monitoring and logging of NortonUtilitiesSvc service activities and symbolic link operations to detect potential exploitation attempts. 5. Educate system administrators and security teams about the nature of TOCTOU vulnerabilities and the specific risks associated with this product. 6. Once available, promptly apply vendor patches and verify their effectiveness through testing. 7. Conduct thorough audits of local user accounts and privilege assignments to reduce the attack surface. 8. Use Windows security features such as Controlled Folder Access and User Account Control (UAC) to add layers of defense against unauthorized code execution.