# CVE-2023-36541: Privilege escalation in Zoom Desktop Client for Windows

> An authenticated user can escalate privileges via network access due to insufficient data authenticity verification in the Zoom Windows client.

- **Severity:** High 8.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 8 Aug 2023
- **Updated:** 10 Oct 2024
- **Also known as:** CVE-2023-34113, GHSA-8w6g-5xq3-hvc5

## What is CVE-2023-36541?

CVE-2023-36541 is a high-severity vulnerability in Zoom Zoom, published on 8 Aug 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Insufficient verification of data authenticity in Zoom Desktop Client for Windows before 5.14.5 may allow an authenticated user to enable an escalation of privilege via network access.

Weakness: CWE-345 (Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-36541?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Zoom Zoom.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-36541?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-36541 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-36541 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-36541 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Zoom Zoom

- [CVE-2018-15715](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-15715/): Missing authorization in Zoom (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2023-39216](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-39216/): Cross-site scripting in Zoom Desktop Client for Windows (critical 9.6)
- [CVE-2023-36534](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36534/): Path traversal in Zoom Desktop Client for Windows (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2019-13567](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-13567/): Command injection in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2017-15048](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-15048/): Memory corruption in n/a (high 8.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-36541 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-36541 is a high-severity vulnerability in Zoom Zoom, published on 8 Aug 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-36541 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Zoom Zoom. 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-2023-36541/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36541/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-36541
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36541
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-36541

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-36541/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.