---
id: CVE-2016-20060
title: >-
  Hotspot Shield 6.0.3 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in the
  hshld service binary that allows local attackers to escalate privileges by
  injecting malicious executables
summary: >-
  Hotspot Shield 6.0.3 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in the
  hshld service binary that allows local attackers to escalate privileges by
  injecting malicious executables. Attackers can place executable files in the
  service p…
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-428
published: '2026-04-04'
updated: '2026-07-20'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-20060'
references:
  - url: 'https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40528'
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: 'https://www.hotspotshield.com'
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: 'https://www.hotspotshield.com/download/'
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
  - url: >-
      https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/hotspot-shield-unquoted-service-path-privilege-escalation
    label: disclosure@vulncheck.com
tags:
  - nvd
epss: 0.00151
epssPercentile: 0.04649
ingestedAt: '2026-07-21T16:51:41.382Z'
---

## Overview

Hotspot Shield 6.0.3 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in the hshld service binary that allows local attackers to escalate privileges by injecting malicious executables. Attackers can place executable files in the service path and upon service restart or system reboot, the malicious code executes with LocalSystem privileges.

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.