CVE-2026-96542: EA Javelin Anticheat Installer Local Privilege Escalation

Severity: medium (CVSS 5.0 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.1% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2026-10-16 · updated 2026-10-19
Weakness: CWE-732

Description

Incorrect permission assignment (CWE-732) in the standalone installer for EA Javelin Anticheat (versions 1.0.14329371, 1.0.14547437, 1.0.14789537, and 1.0.14940698) on Windows allows a local non-administrative user to elevate privileges to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM by modifying the EAAntiCheatService service configuration and executable path. This vulnerability requires non-standard manual execution of the standalone installer and does not affect standard game installations via the EA App and Steam. This issue is corrected in version 1.0.14940699 and later; service permissions automatically self-heal upon launching an integrated EA game title.

Affected products

Electronic Arts EA Javelin Anticheat (EA Javelin Anticheat Installer): 1.0.14329371 (Specific affected standalone versions: 1.0.14329371, 1.0.14547437, 1.0.14789537, 1.0.14940698)

References

https://catsandmalware.com/blog/eight-bytes-to-system/

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