CVE-2023-26277
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 · uneditedIBM QRadar WinCollect Agent 10.0 though 10.1.3 could allow a local user to execute commands on the system due to execution with unnecessary privileges. IBM X-Force ID: 248156.
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 confidenceIBM QRadar WinCollect Agent versions 10.0 through 10.1.3 runs with unnecessary system privileges, allowing a local authenticated user to leverage the elevated agent process to execute arbitrary commands on the Windows system.
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>= 10.0, <= 10.1.3CVSS 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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Verify WinCollect Agent is installedOpen Windows Services (services.msc) and look for a service named 'WinCollect' or check Program Files for IBM WinCollect directory, or run: Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Name -like '*WinCollect*'}Affected if No WinCollect service or installation found means not affected
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Check installed WinCollect versionCheck the installed version via Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\IBM Corporation\WinCollect\CurrentVersion\Version or inspect the WinCollect.exe file properties in the installation directoryAffected if Version falls within 10.0 through 10.1.3 (inclusive) means potentially affected
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Confirm WinCollect service is runningRun: Get-Service WinCollect or check if the WinCollect service is in Running state in services.mscAffected if Service is running means the elevated agent process is active and could be exploited if other conditions are met
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Check service account privilegesRun: sc qc WinCollect to view the service configuration, or check via services.msc properties to see if the service runs as SYSTEM, LocalSystem, or another highly privileged accountAffected if Service runs with SYSTEM, LocalSystem, or elevated domain admin privileges means the privilege escalation vector is present
You are affected if WinCollect Agent version 10.0-10.1.3 is installed and the service is running with elevated SYSTEM or administrative privileges, allowing a local authenticated user to potentially execute arbitrary commands.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply the IBM patch for this vulnerability. Until patched, restrict local access to the system to trusted users only and ensure the principle of least privilege is followed for the WinCollect Agent service account.
10.1.4 or later (or latest stable 10.x release)
- 1. Verify current WinCollect agent version by checking the installed software or consulting QRadar console
- 2. Download the fixed version of IBM QRadar WinCollect from IBM Fix Central or your authorized IBM representative
- 3. Review IBM's release notes for the fixed version to understand changes and requirements
- 4. Create a backup of current WinCollect configuration
- 5. Upgrade WinCollect agent to version 10.1.4 or later (or the latest supported version)
- 6. Verify the upgrade was successful and agent is functioning correctly
- 7. Confirm the privilege escalation vulnerability is resolved
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-26277 — 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-2023-26277 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data