# CVE-2023-53937: Hubstaff 1.6.13 and 1.6.14 DLL Search Order Hijacking via wow64log Library

> Attackers can execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges by placing a malicious DLL in the system directory to hijack the application's library loading process.

- **Severity:** High 8.5 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA: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:** No
- **Published:** 18 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 29 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-24h9-pvx3-c6g5

## What is CVE-2023-53937?

CVE-2023-53937 is a high-severity vulnerability in Hubstaff, published on 18 Dec 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Hubstaff 1.6.13 and 1.6.14 contain a DLL search order hijacking vulnerability that allows attackers to replace a missing system32 wow64log.dll with a malicious library. Attackers can generate a custom DLL using Metasploit and place it in the system32 directory to obtain a reverse shell during application startup.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-53937?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Hubstaff Hubstaff.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-53937?

No fix has been published for CVE-2023-53937 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2023-53937 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-53937 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-53937 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-53937 is a high-severity vulnerability in Hubstaff, published on 18 Dec 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2023-53937 exists.

Affected product: Hubstaff. 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-2023-53937/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53937/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-53937
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-53937
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-53937

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-53937/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.