# CVE-2023-38736: IBM QRadar WinCollect Agent privilege escalation

> A local attacker can escalate privileges to SYSTEM if the WinCollect Agent is configured to run as ADMIN or SYSTEM.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/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:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 8 Sep 2023
- **Updated:** 26 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-v7m2-w29v-47v2

## What is CVE-2023-38736?

CVE-2023-38736 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM QRadar WinCollect Agent, published on 8 Sep 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

IBM QRadar WinCollect Agent 10.0 through 10.1.6, when installed to run as ADMIN or SYSTEM, is vulnerable to a local escalation of privilege attack that a normal user could utilize to gain SYSTEM permissions.  IBM X-Force ID:  262542.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-38736?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ibm Qradar Wincollect.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-38736?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-38736 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-38736 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-38736 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in IBM QRadar WinCollect Agent

- [CVE-2023-26278](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-26278/): IBM QRadar WinCollect Agent privilege escalation (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2023-26277](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-26277/): IBM QRadar WinCollect Agent privilege escalation (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2021-39006](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39006/): Information disclosure in QRadar WinCollect Agent (medium 5.3)
- [CVE-2022-43880](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-43880/): IBM QRadar WinCollect Agent (medium 4.4)
- [CVE-2024-51461](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-51461/): IBM QRadar WinCollect Agent denial of service (medium 4.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-38736 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-38736 is a high-severity vulnerability in IBM QRadar WinCollect Agent, published on 8 Sep 2023. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-38736 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: IBM QRadar WinCollect 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-2023-38736/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38736/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-38736
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38736
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-38736

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-38736/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.