# CVE-2023-28141: NTFS Junction

> Local attackers can exploit NTFS junctions to write files to arbitrary locations, potentially modifying or deleting sensitive files and escalating privileges.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Apr 2023
- **Updated:** 3 Mar 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-g3cj-qpc9-phm2

## What is CVE-2023-28141?

CVE-2023-28141 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Qualys Cloud Agent, published on 18 Apr 2023. 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

An NTFS Junction condition exists in the Qualys Cloud Agent
for Windows platform in versions before 4.8.0.31. Attackers may write files to
arbitrary locations via a local attack vector. This allows attackers to assume
the privileges of the process, and they may delete or otherwise on unauthorized
files, allowing for the potential modification or deletion of sensitive files
limited only to that specific directory/file object. This vulnerability is
bounded to the time of installation/uninstallation and can only be exploited locally.

At the time of this disclosure, versions before 4.0 are
classified as End of Life.

Weakness: CWE-59 (Improper Link Resolution Before File Access)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-28141?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Qualys Cloud Agent.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-28141?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-28141 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-28141 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-28141 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Qualys Cloud Agent

- [CVE-2023-28140](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28140/): Executable Hijacking (medium 6.7)
- [CVE-2023-28142](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28142/): Race Condition (medium 6.7)
- [CVE-2023-28143](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28143/): Local Privilege Escalation (medium 6.7)
- [CVE-2022-29550](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-29550/): Information disclosure in n/a (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-28141 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-28141 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Qualys Cloud Agent, published on 18 Apr 2023. 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-2023-28141 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Qualys Cloud Agent. 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-2023-28141/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28141/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-28141
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28141
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-28141

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28141/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.