G DATA Total Security Backup Service Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

July 15th, 2026
ZDI-26-432 ZDI-CAN-28665

CVE ID

CVE-2026-13268

CVSS Score

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

Affected Vendors

G DATA

Affected Products

Total Security

Vulnerability Details

This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of G DATA Total Security. 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 Backup 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.

Additional Details

Fixed in version 25.5.20.121


Disclosure Timeline

  • 2026-02-12 - Vulnerability reported to vendor
  • 2026-07-15 - Coordinated public release of advisory
  • 2026-07-15 - Advisory Updated

Credit

Anonymous

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