Active Webcam 115 Unquoted Service Path Patched May 2026
The phrase "active webcam 115 unquoted service path patched" refers to a security fix for a vulnerability in Active Webcam version 11.5. 🛡️ The Vulnerability
An Unquoted Service Path vulnerability occurs when a service executable path contains spaces and is not enclosed in quotation marks. This allows a local attacker to gain elevated privileges (SYSTEM) by placing a malicious executable (e.g., program.exe) in a parent directory. 🛠️ The Patch
The "patched" status indicates that the software's registry entry or installer was updated to include the necessary quotes.
Original (Vulnerable):C:\Program Files\Active Webcam\Webcam.exeWindows might try to run C:\Program.exe or C:\Program Files\Active.exe first.
Patched (Secure):"C:\Program Files\Active Webcam\Webcam.exe"Windows goes directly to the intended file. 🚀 Recommendation
Update Immediately: Ensure you are running version 11.6 or higher, or apply the latest security patches from the vendor.
Manual Check: You can verify your services by running this command in Command Prompt:wmic service get name, displayname, pathname, startmode | findstr /i "active webcam" | findstr /i /v """
Fix it Yourself: If it is still unquoted, you can manually edit the ImagePath value in the Windows Registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\[ServiceName].
If you'd like, I can give you a step-by-step guide on how to manually fix unquoted paths in your Registry or help you find the official download link for the latest version.
If updating is not possible:
Summary
Technical impact
What the patch changes
Verification steps (quick)
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A critical security flaw in Active WebCam 11.5 unquoted service path vulnerability tracked as CVE-2021-47790
, was recently highlighted for its potential to grant attackers administrative control. Understanding the Risk: CVE-2021-47790
The vulnerability occurs when a Windows service is installed with a path that contains spaces (e.g., C:\Program Files\Active WebCam\awc.exe
) but lacks surrounding double quotes. Due to how Windows handles file execution, an attacker can place a malicious executable in a parent directory—such as C:\Program.exe —which the system will mistakenly execute with LocalSystem privileges when the service starts. active webcam 115 unquoted service path patched
: Elevated system privileges, arbitrary code execution, and potential full system compromise.
: Local attackers with basic file-writing permissions can exploit this misconfiguration. How to Patch and Secure Your System
If you are running Active WebCam 11.5, it is vital to verify and fix the service path. While specialized security intelligence platforms like
monitor these threats, you can manually remediate the issue using these steps: Identify the Path : Use the command prompt as an administrator to run:
wmic service get name,pathname,displayname | findstr /i "Active WebCam" Check if the "pathname" lacks double quotes. Edit the Registry Registry Editor ) as an administrator. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ Find the Active WebCam service entry and locate the Manually add double quotes around the entire path (e.g., "C:\Program Files\Active WebCam\awc.exe" Restart the Service
: Stop and restart the service for the changes to take effect. For those managing multiple assets, resources from Exploit-DB
provide further technical documentation on this and similar vulnerabilities. PowerShell script
to automatically detect and wrap unquoted paths for all your installed services? CVE-2021-47790 Detail - NVD
The Active WebCam 11.5 vulnerability (CVE-2021-47790) is a local privilege escalation flaw caused by an unquoted service path. The Vulnerability
Cause: The service was installed using a file path that contains spaces but lacks double quotes (e.g., C:\Program Files\Active WebCam\service.exe instead of "C:\Program Files\Active WebCam\service.exe").
Impact: A local attacker with limited privileges can place a malicious executable in a parent directory (like C:\Program.exe). When the service restarts, Windows may execute the malicious file instead of the intended program, potentially granting the attacker administrative (SYSTEM) privileges. The phrase "active webcam 115 unquoted service path
Verification: The issue was documented as EDB-ID 50273 and officially assigned CVE-2021-47790. How to Patch It
If you are still using version 11.5, you can manually patch this vulnerability by wrapping the service path in quotes within the Windows Registry: Open Registry Editor: Run regedit as an administrator.
Locate the Service: Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\.
Edit Path: Find the entry for Active WebCam and modify the ImagePath value to include double quotes around the full path.
Alternatively, you can use a command-line tool to identify and fix unquoted paths across your system. CVE-2021-47790 Detail - NVD
import winreg
def check_active_webcam_vuln():
"""
Checks for the 'Active Webcam 11.5' unquoted service path vulnerability.
Vulnerable services have a path containing spaces and are not enclosed in quotes.
"""
service_name = "Active WebCam"
# Standard registry path for services
reg_path = r"SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services"
try:
# Open the registry key for the service
key = winreg.OpenKey(winreg.HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, f"reg_path\\service_name", 0, winreg.KEY_READ)
# Query the ImagePath value
path_val, _ = winreg.QueryValueEx(key, "ImagePath")
winreg.CloseKey(key)
# Logic to determine vulnerability
# 1. Path must contain spaces (e.g., C:\Program Files\...)
# 2. Path must NOT start with a quote mark
if " " in path_val and not path_val.startswith('"'):
print(f"[!] Vulnerability Detected: Service 'service_name' has an unquoted path.")
print(f" Path: path_val")
print(" Status: The service appears to be UNPATCHED.")
elif path_val.startswith('"'):
print(f"[*] Service 'service_name' is PATCHED (Path is quoted).")
else:
print(f"[*] Service 'service_name' path does not contain spaces (No vulnerability).")
except FileNotFoundError:
print(f"[-] Service 'service_name' not found on this system.")
except Exception as e:
print(f"[-] Error accessing registry: e")
if __name__ == "__main__":
check_active_webcam_vuln()
If you develop Windows software that installs services:
Example in C++:
TCHAR path[] = TEXT("\"C:\\Program Files\\MyApp\\service.exe\"");
CreateService(..., path, ...);
A recently identified unquoted service path vulnerability in Active WebCam 11.5 has been officially patched. Users running versions prior to the patch are strongly advised to update immediately to mitigate potential local privilege escalation risks.
Consider a service path like:
C:\Program Files\MyApp\service.exe
Without quotes, Windows checks the following locations in order when trying to start the service:
If an attacker can place a malicious executable named Program.exe or My.exe in the root of C:\ or C:\Program Files\, and the service is restarted (or started at boot), the malicious binary will run with the service’s privileges — often SYSTEM. If updating is not possible:
This is the unquoted service path vulnerability (CWE-428).
Use a PowerShell script to scan for unquoted service paths:
Get-WmiObject Win32_Service | Where-Object
$_.PathName -notlike '"*' -and $_.PathName -like '* *'
| Select-Object Name, PathName, StartName