CVE-2023-53984: Clevo HotKey Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2023-53984 Overview

CVE-2023-53984 is an unquoted service path vulnerability in Clevo HotKey Clipboard 2.1.0.6. The flaw resides in the HKClipSvc Windows service, which registers its executable path without surrounding quotation marks. Local non-privileged users can place a malicious executable in a higher-priority directory along the service path. When the service starts, Windows executes the attacker-controlled binary with SYSTEM privileges. The weakness is classified as [CWE-428] Unquoted Search Path or Element.

Critical Impact
Local authenticated users can escalate to SYSTEM privileges by exploiting the misconfigured HKClipSvc service path on affected Clevo HotKey Clipboard installations.

Affected Products

Clevo HotKey Clipboard 2.1.0.6
Windows systems running the HKClipSvc service
OEM laptops shipping Clevo utility software

Discovery Timeline

2026-01-13 - CVE-2023-53984 published to NVD
2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-53984

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from improper registration of the HKClipSvc service binary path in the Windows Service Control Manager (SCM). When a service path contains spaces and is not enclosed in quotation marks, Windows attempts to execute each whitespace-delimited token as a candidate executable. An attacker who can write to any intermediate directory along the path can plant a binary that Windows will load instead of the intended service executable.

Because HKClipSvc runs as a system service, the substituted binary inherits SYSTEM-level privileges. This converts any low-privileged local account with write access to a relevant directory into a full administrative compromise of the host.

Root Cause

The service installer registers the ImagePath registry value under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HKClipSvc without wrapping the executable path in double quotes. Windows parses the unquoted string left-to-right, treating each space as a possible argument separator and probing for executables at each truncation point.

Attack Vector

An attacker authenticated to the local system identifies the vulnerable service using sc qc HKClipSvc or wmic service get name,pathname,startmode. The attacker then writes a malicious binary into a writable directory that precedes the legitimate executable in the resolution order. On service restart or system reboot, Windows launches the planted executable as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. See the VulnCheck Hotkey Advisory and Exploit-DB #51206 for technical details on the unquoted path resolution behavior.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-53984

Indicators of Compromise

Presence of unexpected executables in directories along the HKClipSvc service path, particularly in C:\Program Files\ or vendor-specific subdirectories.
Service HKClipSvc configured with an unquoted ImagePath value containing spaces.
Process creation events showing child processes of services.exe launching from non-standard directories with SYSTEM token.

Detection Strategies

Audit the registry key HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HKClipSvc and inspect the ImagePath value for missing quotation marks.
Enumerate all services with wmic service get name,pathname,startmode | findstr /i /v "\"" to identify any service whose path contains spaces and is not quoted.
Correlate Windows Security event ID 4688 (process creation) entries where the parent is services.exe and the image path does not match the expected vendor executable.

Monitoring Recommendations

Monitor file write operations to directories along privileged service paths by non-administrative users.
Alert on creation of .exe files in C:\, C:\Program Files\, or other root-level directories that intersect service ImagePath values.
Track service configuration changes via Windows event ID 7045 and registry modifications to the Services hive.

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-53984

Immediate Actions Required

Inventory all systems with Clevo HotKey Clipboard 2.1.0.6 installed and identify the HKClipSvc service.
Manually quote the ImagePath registry value for HKClipSvc if a vendor patch is not yet available.
Restrict write permissions on directories along the service path to administrators only.
Remove the Clevo HotKey Clipboard utility from systems that do not require its functionality.

Patch Information

No vendor patch has been published in the references available for CVE-2023-53984. Consult the Clevo Official Website Archive for vendor contact information and monitor OEM channels for updated builds of the HotKey Clipboard utility.

Workarounds

Edit the ImagePath value under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HKClipSvc to enclose the executable path in double quotes, then restart the service.
Apply NTFS access control lists (ACLs) that deny Write and Create Files permissions to non-administrative users on C:\ and any intermediate directories along the service path.
Disable the HKClipSvc service entirely using sc config HKClipSvc start= disabled followed by sc stop HKClipSvc if the clipboard hotkey feature is not required.

bash

# Configuration example - quote the service ImagePath
reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HKClipSvc" /v ImagePath

# After identifying the unquoted path, update it with quotes
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HKClipSvc" /v ImagePath /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d "\"C:\Program Files\Clevo\HKClipSvc.exe\"" /f

# Restart the service to apply
sc stop HKClipSvc
sc start HKClipSvc