# CVE-2020-24356: Local Privilege Escalation in cloudflared

> A local attacker can escalate privileges to execute commands as a privileged user on Windows systems using cloudflared.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 2 Oct 2020
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hgwp-4vp4-qmm2, GO-2022-0845

## What is CVE-2020-24356?

CVE-2020-24356 is a medium-severity vulnerability in cloudflared, published on 2 Oct 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

`cloudflared` versions prior to 2020.8.1 contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability on Windows systems. When run on a Windows system, `cloudflared` searches for configuration files which could be abused by a malicious entity to execute commands as a privileged user. Version 2020.8.1 fixes this issue.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-24356?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared` | Go | All versions | 0.0.0-20200820025921-9323844ea773 |
| `github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared` | Go | All versions | 0.0.0-20200820025921-9323844ea773 |
| `github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared` | Go | All versions | 0.0.0-20200820025921-9323844ea773 |

Products: Cloudflare Cloudflared.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-24356?

Upgrade github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared to 0.0.0-20200820025921-9323844ea773 or later.

## Is CVE-2020-24356 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-24356 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in cloudflared

- [CVE-2023-1314](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-1314/): Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability in cloudflared's Installer (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-24356 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-24356 is a medium-severity vulnerability in cloudflared, published on 2 Oct 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-24356 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.0.0-20200820025921-9323844ea773
- github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.0.0-20200820025921-9323844ea773
- github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared (Go): affected all versions; fixed in 0.0.0-20200820025921-9323844ea773

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-2020-24356/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24356/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-24356
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-24356
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-24356

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-24356/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.