Untrusted search path in Claude Code - CVE-2026-35603
Published: April 30, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU128508
CSH Severity: Medium
CVSSv4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green
CVE-ID: CVE-2026-35603
CWE-ID: CWE-426
Exploitation vector: Local access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerable software:
Claude Code
Claude Code
Software vendor:
Anthropic
Anthropic
Description
The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges.
The vulnerability exists due to untrusted search path in system-wide configuration loading from C:\ProgramData\ClaudeCode\managed-settings.json when loading default configuration on Windows. A local user can create the ClaudeCode subdirectory and place a malicious configuration file to escalate privileges.
Exploitation requires a shared multi-user Windows system and a victim user to launch Claude Code after the malicious configuration is placed.
Remediation
Install security update from vendor's website.