# CVE-2019-8461: Code injection in Check Point Endpoint Security Initial Client for Windows

> An attacker can achieve local privilege escalation by placing a malicious DLL in a PATH directory, exploiting insecure DLL loading in the Check Point Endpoint Security Client.

- **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:** 29 Aug 2019
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-w3m8-585x-v8v5

## What is CVE-2019-8461?

CVE-2019-8461 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Check Point Endpoint Security Initial Client for Windows, published on 29 Aug 2019. 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

Check Point Endpoint Security Initial Client for Windows before version E81.30 tries to load a DLL placed in any PATH location on a clean image without Endpoint Client installed. An attacker can leverage this to gain LPE using a specially crafted DLL placed in any PATH location accessible with write permissions to the user.

Weakness: CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path), CWE-114 (Process Control)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-8461?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Checkpoint Capsule Docs Standalone Client, Checkpoint Endpoint Security, Checkpoint Remote Access Clients.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-8461?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-8461 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-8461 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-8461 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Check Point Endpoint Security Initial Client for Windows

- [CVE-2019-8459](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-8459/): Path traversal in Check Point Endpoint Security Client for Windows, VPN blade (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-8461 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-8461 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Check Point Endpoint Security Initial Client for Windows, published on 29 Aug 2019. 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-2019-8461 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Check Point Endpoint Security Initial Client 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-2019-8461/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-8461/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-8461
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-8461
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-8461

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-8461/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.