CVE-2024-6260VulnerabilityPublished 22 Nov 2024Updated 5 Dec 2024

CVE-2024-6260: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware · Link Following

Affects Malwarebytes Anti-MalwareSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.0 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.0 base score

7.0High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 21% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: High
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Local: The vulnerable component is not bound to the network stack and the attacker’s path is via read/write/execute capabilities. Either: the attacker exploits the vulnerability by accessing the target system locally (e.g., keyboard, console), or remotely (e.g., SSH); or the attacker relies on User Interaction by another person to perform actions required to exploit the vulnerability (e.g., tricking a legitimate user into opening a malicious document).
Attack Complexity: High: A successful attack depends on conditions beyond the attacker's control. That is, a successful attack cannot be accomplished at will, but requires the attacker to invest in some measurable amount of effort in preparation or execution against the vulnerable component before a successful attack can be expected. For example, a successful attack may require an attacker to: gather knowledge about the environment in which the vulnerable target/component exists; prepare the target environment to improve exploit reliability; or inject themselves into the logical network path between the target and the resource requested by the victim in order to read and/or modify network communications (e.g., a man in the middle attack).
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 Nov 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware	Affected =4.6.6	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

1. Apply official patches from Malwarebytes as soon as they become available to address CVE-2024-6260. 2. Until patches are released, restrict local user permissions to prevent unauthorized code execution and symbolic link creation in directories monitored or used by Malwarebytes services. 3. Implement application whitelisting and endpoint protection policies to limit execution of untrusted code by low-privileged users. 4. Monitor file system activity for suspicious symbolic link creation or deletion attempts targeting Malwarebytes service files. 5. Use system integrity monitoring tools to detect unauthorized changes to critical files. 6. Enforce the principle of least privilege for all local accounts and disable unnecessary local accounts. 7. Conduct regular audits of local user permissions and group memberships to reduce the attack surface. 8. Educate system administrators and users about the risks of local privilege escalation and the importance of applying security updates promptly.

Description

Malwarebytes Antimalware Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Malwarebytes Antimalware. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the Malwarebytes service. By creating a symbolic link, an attacker can abuse the service to delete a file. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-22321.

Impact

The vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges to SYSTEM level, which can lead to complete compromise of affected systems. This includes unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification or deletion of critical files, and the ability to install persistent malware or backdoors. The impact extends to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system. Since Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is widely used for endpoint protection, exploitation could undermine the security posture of organizations, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls and maintain persistence. The requirement for initial low-privileged code execution limits remote exploitation but does not eliminate risk, especially in environments where local user accounts are shared or compromised. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not preclude future active exploitation. Organizations with high-value assets or regulatory requirements face increased risk from this vulnerability.

Summary

CVE-2024-6260 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability identified in Malwarebytes Anti-Malware version 4.6.6. The root cause is improper link resolution before file access, classified under CWE-59. Specifically, the Malwarebytes service improperly handles symbolic links created by a local attacker. By crafting a symbolic link, an attacker can trick the service into deleting arbitrary files, which can be leveraged to escalate privileges from a low-privileged user to SYSTEM level. This escalation allows execution of arbitrary code with the highest system privileges. Exploitation requires the attacker to have initial low-privileged code execution capabilities on the system but does not require user interaction. The vulnerability was reported by the Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) as ZDI-CAN-22321 and has a CVSS v3.0 score of 7.0, indicating high severity. The attack vector is local, with high attack complexity and low privileges required. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability by enabling full system compromise. No patches were listed at the time of publication, and no known exploits have been observed in the wild. Organizations relying on Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 4.6.6 should monitor for updates and consider interim mitigations to restrict local user capabilities.

CWE-59Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (opens in a new tab)
Base weaknessLikelihood of exploit: MediumOWASP Top 10 A01:2025: Broken Access Control (opens in a new tab)
The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
Architecture and Design · Separation of Privilege
Follow the principle of least privilege when assigning access rights to entities in a software system.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
Authorization (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Symlink Attack (opens in a new tab)
Using Malicious Files (opens in a new tab)
Leverage Executable Code in Non-Executable Files (opens in a new tab)
Manipulating Web Input to File System Calls (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 28 Feb 2026, 01:05 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-59

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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