CVE-2024-0670 is a high severity local privilege escalation in the Windows agent of Checkmk, scored 8.8 by NVD. Per the Checkmk advisory, the fixed versions are 2.2.0p23, 2.1.0p40, 2.3.0b1 and 2.4.0b1. Update the agent on every Windows host you monitor, because the flaw needs a local user on the machine.
What's affected
The NVD record describes a privilege escalation in the Windows agent plugin handling of Checkmk, affecting versions before 2.2.0p23, before 2.1.0p40, and 2.0.0, which the record marks as end of life. The Checkmk advisory (werk 16361) lists 2.2.0, 2.1.0 and 2.0.0 as affected and names 2.4.0b1, 2.3.0b1, 2.2.0p23 and 2.1.0p40 as the versions that carry the fix. The advisory page does not use the word fixed for the list, so read it as the first releases that include the change.
The CVSS vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H. That means local access, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and a changed scope with high impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability. NVD also tags Microsoft Windows as the platform. The weakness class is CWE-427, an uncontrolled search path element.
There is no 2.0.0 fix to move to. Because that line is end of life, the way out for those hosts is an upgrade to a supported release.
How to check if you're exposed
Start with the agent version on each Windows host. Checkmk normally reports the agent version in the output of the Check_MK service for the host, and the agent installer version is also visible in the Windows installed programs list. Compare what you find against the fixed versions above.
The advisory also gives a detection hint. Its proof of concept creates many files matching the name pattern cmk_all_<number>_1.cmd in the Windows temp folder. You can look for them with a plain directory listing on a host:
dir C:\Windows\Temp\cmk_all_*_1.cmd
A few such files can appear through normal agent behavior, so treat a large pile of them as a prompt to investigate rather than as proof of anything. Monitoring file creation events for that pattern is the advice the advisory itself offers.
What to do now
- List every Windows host that runs the Checkmk agent and record the agent version.
- Upgrade agents on 2.2.x to 2.2.0p23 or later, and agents on 2.1.x to 2.1.0p40 or later. Newer major lines should move to a release that includes the fix, so confirm against the advisory.
- Move any host still on the end of life 2.0.0 agent to a supported release.
- Review who has local logon rights on monitored Windows servers. The flaw needs a local account, so fewer interactive users means less exposure while you roll out the update.
- Add a file creation alert for the pattern named in the advisory if your endpoint tooling supports it.
Why it matters
The cause, according to the advisory, is how the agent handles files in a shared temp folder. It writes command files into the Windows temp directory and runs them. If a file with the expected name already exists and is write protected, the agent cannot overwrite it but still executes it. Since the names are predictable, a local user could place a file there ahead of time. The fix moves the files to a subfolder with tighter permissions and improves error handling.
Monitoring agents usually run with high privileges so they can read system state. That is what makes a local flaw in them worth treating as more than a nuisance: a low privilege user on the box can potentially run code at the agent's level. The record does not flag this CVE as known exploited, and CISA lists no KEV entry for it in the record.
If the affected component is something your own code pulls in as a dependency, the free in-browser dependency scan at gold.safeguard.sh/scan will tell you whether it appears in your manifests. Reachability analysis then helps you separate the copies that your code actually exercises from the ones that only sit in the tree.
Quick check
Can someone exploit this from the network?
The record rates the attack vector as local. An attacker needs an account on the Windows host first, so the risk is greatest on shared servers and terminal servers.
Is there a workaround?
The advisory describes none. The remedy is the fixed agent version, with file creation monitoring as a detection aid.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
