CVE-2023-27347
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 · uneditedG DATA Total Security Link Following Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of G Data Total Security. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the G DATA Backup Service. By creating a symbolic link, an attacker can abuse the service to create arbitrary files. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-18749.
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 confidenceG DATA Total Security contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability in its Backup Service component. Attackers with low-privileged code execution can create symbolic links to abuse the service into creating arbitrary files, allowing escalation to SYSTEM context and execution of arbitrary code.
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< 25.5.13.26CVSS 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:3.0/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 G DATA Total Security is installedCheck for G DATA Total Security in installed programs via Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell to list installed software and versionsAffected if G DATA Total Security is present on the system
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Identify the installed versionLocate the installed version number in the program properties or registry key mentioned above, typically shown as DisplayVersionAffected if The version number is lower than 25.5.13.26 (e.g., 25.5.12.x, 25.4.x, etc.)
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Confirm the Backup Service is presentOpen Services (services.msc) and look for a service related to G DATA Backup, or run 'Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*G DATA*" -and $_.DisplayName -like "*Backup*"}' in PowerShellAffected if A G DATA Backup Service exists and is installed on the system
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Check if Backup Service is enabledIn Services, verify the service status (Running/Stopped) and the Startup Type; or query with 'Get-Service "ServiceName" | Select-Object Status, StartType'Affected if The Backup Service is present and has any startup type (Automatic, Manual, or Disabled) - the vulnerability applies if the service exists even if currently stopped, as it can be triggered upon startup
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Verify low-privileged user access to service directoriesExamine file system permissions on the G DATA installation directory and any Backup Service data folders to determine if standard users can create symbolic links or modify files in service-controlled paths (use icacls or check ACLs via Explorer Security properties)Affected if Standard users have write or create symbolic link permissions in directories used by the Backup Service
The system is affected if G DATA Total Security is installed with a version lower than 25.5.13.26 and the Backup Service component exists on the system, regardless of its current running state.
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 data25.5.13.26
Apply the vendor patch from G DATA for Total Security to address the Backup Service vulnerability, or disable the Backup Service if not required.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-27347 — 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-2023-27347 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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