dbcve.org
WarpApplication · Cloudflare

CVE-2023-1412

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2023.3.381.0 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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 · unedited
An unprivileged (non-admin) user can exploit an Improper Access Control vulnerability in the Cloudflare WARP Client for Windows (<= 2022.12.582.0) to perform privileged operations with SYSTEM context by working with a combination of opportunistic locks (oplock) and symbolic links (which can both be created by an unprivileged user). After installing the Cloudflare WARP Client (admin privileges required), an MSI-Installer is placed under C:\Windows\Installer. The vulnerability lies in the repair function of this MSI. ImpactAn unprivileged (non-admin) user can exploit this vulnerability to perform privileged operations with SYSTEM context, including deleting arbitrary files and reading arbitrary file content. This can lead to a variety of attacks, including the manipulation of system files and privilege escalation. PatchesA new installer with a fix that addresses this vulnerability was released in version 2023.3.381.0. While the WARP Client itself is not vulnerable (only the installer), users are encouraged to upgrade to the latest version and delete any older installers present in their systems.

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 · high confidence

Improper Access Control in Cloudflare WARP Client Windows installer (versions <= 2022.12.582.0) allows unprivileged users to manipulate the MSI repair function using a combination of opportunistic locks (oplock) and symbolic links to perform privileged operations with SYSTEM context, enabling arbitrary file deletion and content reading.

MitigationUpgrade to Cloudflare WARP Client installer version 2023.3.381.0 or later and remove legacy installers from C:\Windows\Installer to prevent exploitation.

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 data
WarpApplication
Affected:< 2023.3.381.0

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Find installed Cloudflare WARP client version
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'warp-diag --version' from command prompt if the client includes CLI tools, or check the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Cloudflare\WARP for the installed version value
    Affected if The displayed version is 2022.12.582.0 or earlier, or any version below 2023.3.381.0
  2. Check for legacy MSI installer files
    Inspect the folder C:\Windows\Installer for MSI files related to Cloudflare WARP (search for files with 'WARP' or 'Cloudflare' in the filename or product code)
    Affected if Any legacy MSI installer files with version 2022.12.582.0 or earlier are present in this directory
  3. Verify Windows installer repair context
    Attempt a manual MSI repair by right-clicking the installed Cloudflare WARP entry in Programs and Features and selecting 'Repair', or run 'msiexec /f {product-code}' for the WARP installer
    Affected if The repair function executes with elevated privileges and could be manipulated by an unprivileged user (this is the vulnerable condition but should only be tested in non-production environments)

A user is affected if the installed Cloudflare WARP Client version is below 2023.3.381.0, as this version range contains the vulnerable MSI repair function that can be exploited for privileged arbitrary file operations.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2023.3.381.0 or later
Fixed in 2023.3.381.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Cloudflare WARP Client installer version 2023.3.381.0 or later and remove legacy installers from C:\Windows\Installer to prevent exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

2023.3.381.0 or later

  1. Upgrade Cloudflare WARP Client for Windows to version 2023.3.381.0 or later
  2. Delete any older installer MSI files from C:\Windows\Installer to remove potentially vulnerable remnants

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Warp Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-1412 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data