# CVE-2018-0594: Privilege escalation in Skype for Windows

> An attacker can gain privileges and execute code by placing a malicious DLL in a directory searched by Skype 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:** 26 Jun 2018
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-p7v9-34px-2j7f

## What is CVE-2018-0594?

CVE-2018-0594 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Skype for Windows, published on 26 Jun 2018. 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 Skype for Windows allows an attacker to gain privileges via a Trojan horse DLL in an unspecified directory.

Weakness: CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-0594?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Microsoft Skype.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-0594?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-0594 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-0594 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-0594 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Skype for Windows

- [CVE-2017-6517](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-6517/): Other in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-9948](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-9948/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2018-0595](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0595/): Privilege escalation in The installer of Skype for Windows (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2016-5720](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-5720/): Path traversal in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2019-0932](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-0932/): Information disclosure in Skype (medium 5.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-0594 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-0594 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Skype for Windows, published on 26 Jun 2018. 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-2018-0594 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Microsoft Skype 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-2018-0594/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0594/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-0594
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-0594
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-0594

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-0594/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.