Description
Avira Internet Security contains a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) vulnerability in the Optimizer component. A privileged service running as SYSTEM identifies directories for cleanup during a scan phase and subsequently deletes them during a separate cleanup phase without revalidating the target path. A local attacker can replace a previously scanned directory with a junction or reparse point before deletion occurs, causing the privileged process to delete an unintended system location. This may result in deletion of protected files or directories and can lead to local privilege escalation, denial of service, or system integrity compromise depending on the affected target.
References (5)
Core 5
Core References
Various Sources
https://blog.quarkslab.com/avira-deserialize-delete-and-escalate-the-proper-way-to-use-an-av.html
Third Party Advisory
https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/avira-internet-security-optimizer-toctou
Various Sources release-notes
https://support.avira.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010656158-Current-Avira-versions
Various Sources product
https://www.avira.com/en/internet-security
Vendor Advisory vendor-advisory
https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/contact-us/security-advisories/
Scores
CVSS v3
7.8
EPSS
0.0010
EPSS Percentile
1.2%
Attack Vector
LOCAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CISA SSVC
Vulnrichment
Exploitation
poc
Automatable
no
Technical Impact
total
Details
CWE
CWE-367
Status
published
Products (3)
avira/internet_security
< 1.1.114.3113
Gen Digital Inc./Avira Internet Security
< 1.1.109.1990
Gen Digital Inc./Avira Internet Security
1.1.114.3113
Published
Mar 05, 2026
Tracked Since
Mar 05, 2026