GOG Galaxy GalaxyClientService Privilege Escalation
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Plan (action score 40/100)
- A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
- Because a ready-made attack tool exists, priority is at least “Plan”.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 3.7% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 89.8% of all records.
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- No fixed version is recorded, but the references include a patch (commit or PR) link.
Add it to your regular patch cycle. See the fix and affected versions sections below.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
The GalaxyClientService component of GOG Galaxy runs with elevated SYSTEM privileges in a Windows environment. Due to the software shipping with embedded, static RSA private key, an attacker with this key material and local user permissions can effectively send any operating system command to the service for execution in this elevated context. The service listens for such commands on a locally-bound network port, localhost:9978. A Metasploit module has been published which exploits this vulnerability. This issue affects the 2.0.x branch of the software (2.0.12 and earlier) as well as the 1.2.x branch (1.2.64 and earlier). A fix was issued for the 2.0.x branch of the affected software.
- Published
- Aug 6, 2020
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 3.7% · 89th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-264
Report tools
Action score
40
Plan
Add it to your regular patch cycle.
- CVSS
- 35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 3.7%
- Ready-made attack tool
- 4 / 40 · floor: at least 40
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 8.8
- CNA · rapid7
- 8.4
- 0.4 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- Weaponized exploit exists
- No fixed version yet
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| gog | galaxy | cpe:2.3:a:gog:galaxy |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- gog galaxy1.2.0 and later · up to 1.2.64 inclusive
- gog galaxy2.0.0 and later · up to 2.0.12 inclusive
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (rapid7). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
GOG GOG GalaxyClientService
- 2.0.12 and later · up to and including 2.0.12affected
- 1.2.64 and later · up to and including 1.2.64affected
Same product
gog: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2022-31262An exploitable local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in GOG Galaxy 2.0.46.31Monitor
- CVE-2021-26807GalaxyClient version 2.0.28.9 loads unsigned DLLs such as zlib1.dll, libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll and libwinpthread-1.dll from PATH, which allows an a31Monitor
- CVE-2020-24574The client (aka GalaxyClientService.exe) in GOG GALAXY through 2.0.41 (as of 12:58 AM Eastern, 9/26/21) allows local privilege escalation fr31Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2020-15528Jul 4, 2020 · An issue was discovered in GOG Galaxy Client 2.0.17.31Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2020-15529Jul 4, 2020 · An issue was discovered in GOG Galaxy Client 2.0.17.31Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2020-11827Jul 14, 2020 · In GOG Galaxy 1.2.67, there is a service that is vulnerable to weak file/service permissions: GalaxyClientService.exe.31Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
Weaponized
A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.
Evidence
- Metasploit module ×1
- Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub ×1
Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.
| Source | Kind | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Metasploit module | exploit/windows/local/gog_galaxyclientservice_privescGOG GalaxyClientService Privilege Escalationexploit | 2020-04-28 |
| Proof-of-concept repository on GitHub | stars:2 | 2022-01-05 |
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
- Metasploit-101 d
- Published
- First PoC+516 d
- TodayOct 21, 2026+2267 d
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-264 · Permissions, Privileges, and Access ControlsCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.