Local Privilege Escalation in WatchDog Anti-Virus on Windows

CVE-2026-92252

What is CVE-2026-92252?

The WatchDog Anti-Virus installation on Windows contains a vulnerability due to incorrect default permissions in its installation directory. This misconfiguration grants local, low-privileged users Full Control over critical files located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Watchdog Anti-Virus. As a result, these users can modify, replace, or delete essential antivirus binaries and configuration files. If malicious modifications are executed, they can disable antivirus protection or enable unauthorized code execution by elevated WatchDog processes, posing a significant risk to system integrity and security.

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