CVE-2022-43703
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAn installer that loads or executes files using an unconstrained search path may be vulnerable to substitute files under control of an attacker being loaded or executed instead of the intended files.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThe installer uses an unconstrained search path to locate and load executable files (such as DLLs or binaries). An attacker who can place a malicious file in a directory that the installer searches (e.g., the current working directory or a directory earlier in the PATH) can cause that file to be loaded instead of the legitimate intended file, resulting in arbitrary code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versions>= 5.0.0, <= 5.29.3CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Arm Development Studio versionCheck the installation directory for a version file, or use the installer executable name/version properties. Common paths: C:\Program Files\Arm\Development Studio\ or check the MSI/EXE file properties.Affected if The installed version is Arm Development Studio (any version) or Arm DS Development Studio version 5.0.0 through 5.29.3 inclusive.
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Verify PATH environment variable contentsOpen Command Prompt and run: echo %PATH% to display all directories in the system PATH. Examine the order of directories listed.Affected if Any directory listed earlier in PATH (or the current working directory at install time) is writable by a local attacker, making DLL hijacking possible.
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Check current working directory during installationOpen Command Prompt and run: cd to display current directory. Note that installers run with the cwd potentially set to the user's current directory.Affected if The directory from which the installer is executed is writable by another user or process, allowing malicious DLL placement.
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Inspect Windows DLL search order settingsCheck registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\SafeDllSearchMode. If missing or set to 0, DLL search order is less secure.Affected if SafeDllSearchMode is disabled (value 0) or missing, meaning the current working directory is searched before system directories, increasing exploitability.
You are affected if Arm Development Studio (any version) or Arm DS Development Studio 5.0.0-5.29.3 is installed AND the system PATH or installation directory context allows untrusted files to be loaded before legitimate ones.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataRestrict file loading to explicit absolute paths or validated paths within secure directories, and ensure the installer uses safe search order (e.g., Windows Safe DLL Search Mode). Implement file integrity verification such as digital signatures before loading any executable.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-43703 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2022-43703 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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