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Secure Access ClientApplication · Citrix

CVE-2023-24491

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 23.5.1.3 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
A vulnerability has been discovered in the Citrix Secure Access client for Windows which, if exploited, could allow an attacker with access to an endpoint with Standard User Account that has the vulnerable client installed to escalate their local privileges to that of NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM.

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 confidence

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Citrix Secure Access client for Windows. An attacker with Standard User account access can exploit the vulnerable client to escalate their privileges to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM, likely through improper service configuration, insecure file/DLL handling, or other permission-related weaknesses in the client software.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided patch or update to the Citrix Secure Access client to the latest patched version. In the interim, restrict Standard User access to sensitive client directories and files, and monitor for suspicious process 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 data
Secure Access ClientApplication
Affected:< 23.5.1.3

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. Identify Citrix Secure Access Client version
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'wmic product get name,version' to list installed software and locate 'Citrix Secure Access Client' entry
    Affected if The installed version number is lower than 23.5.1.3 (for example, 23.4.x, 23.3.x, or earlier)
  2. Verify the vulnerable service exists
    Open Services.msc and locate any Citrix service related to Secure Access, or run 'sc query' to enumerate services containing 'Citrix' in the name
    Affected if A Citrix Secure Access service is installed and running on the system
  3. Inspect client installation directory permissions
    Navigate to the typical installation path (usually C:\Program Files\Citrix\Secure Access Client or C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Secure Access Client), right-click the folder, go to Properties > Security, and review user permissions
    Affected if Standard Users have Write or Modify permissions on the client installation folder or its subdirectories
  4. Check for weak file or DLL permissions
    Use icacls.exe on the client installation directory (for example, 'icacls "C:\Program Files\Citrix\Secure Access Client" /t') to list all access control entries and identify files writable by non-admin users
    Affected if Standard Users have WRITE or FULL CONTROL permissions on executable files (.exe, .dll) within the client directory
  5. Detect if application runs with elevated privileges
    Open Task Manager, go to the Services tab, and identify any Citrix Secure Access services showing elevated status, or use 'sc qc' on the service name to check the binary path and service configuration
    Affected if The Citrix service runs under NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM or another elevated account while Standard Users can modify related files or configurations

You are affected if the installed Citrix Secure Access Client version is below 23.5.1.3 and the client is present on the system with misconfigured file permissions accessible to Standard Users.

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 23.5.1.3 or later
Fixed in 23.5.1.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided patch or update to the Citrix Secure Access client to the latest patched version. In the interim, restrict Standard User access to sensitive client directories and files, and monitor for suspicious process execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

Citrix Secure Access Client version 23.5.1.3 or later

  1. 1. Verify the currently installed Citrix Secure Access Client version by opening Windows Settings > Apps > Apps & Features and searching for 'Citrix Secure Access'
  2. 2. If the version is lower than 23.5.1.3, download the updated Citrix Secure Access Client version 23.5.1.3 or later from the official Citrix download portal at support.citrix.com
  3. 3. Ensure you have administrator privileges on the local machine to perform the upgrade
  4. 4. Close any running instances of the Citrix Secure Access Client before upgrading
  5. 5. Run the downloaded installer with elevated privileges (right-click > Run as administrator)
  6. 6. Follow the on-screen installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
  7. 7. After installation, restart the computer to ensure all components are properly initialized
  8. 8. Verify the new version is installed by checking Apps & Features again
Caveat Review Citrix release notes for any compatibility or configuration changes between your current version and 23.5.1.3 before upgrading

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

Fix this in Secure Access Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2023-24491 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