Privilege escalation in OpenVPN on Windows

1) Incorrect default permissions

EUVDB-ID: #VU86536

Risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.8 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2023-7235

CWE-ID: CWE-276 - Incorrect Default Permissions

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to incorrect default permissions for files and folders that are set by the application in windows installer, when the application is installed to a non-default directory. A local user with access to the system can view contents of files and directories or modify them.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

OpenVPN for Windows: 2.0 - 2.6.8

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0:_:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0_test1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0_test1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0_test2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0_test2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0_test3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0_test3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0_test4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:openvpn_net:openvpn:2.0_test4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

https://github.com/OpenVPN/openvpn/releases/tag/v2.6.9

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.