# CVE-2016-4900: Privilege escalation in Evernote for Windows

> Remote attackers can gain privileges via a Trojan horse DLL due to an untrusted search path in Evernote for Windows.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 22 May 2017
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-fm94-qrgp-p6gf

## What is CVE-2016-4900?

CVE-2016-4900 is a high-severity vulnerability in Evernote for Windows, published on 22 May 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Untrusted search path vulnerability in Evernote for Windows versions prior to 6.3 allows remote attackers to gain privileges via a Trojan horse DLL in an unspecified directory.

Weakness: CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-4900?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Evernote Evernote.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-4900?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-4900 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-4900 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-4900 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Evernote for Windows

- [CVE-2023-50643](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-50643/): Code injection in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-17759](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-17759/): Command injection in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-17051](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-17051/): Security feature bypass in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2019-10038](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-10038/): Path traversal in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2018-20058](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-20058/): Path traversal in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-4900 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-4900 is a high-severity vulnerability in Evernote for Windows, published on 22 May 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-4900 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Evernote for Windows. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-4900/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-4900/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-4900
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-4900
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-4900

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-4900/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.