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Cloud AgentApplication · Qualys

CVE-2023-28141

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-04-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.8.0.31 or later.
See remediation →
65/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 NTFS Junction condition exists in the Qualys Cloud Agent for Windows platform in versions before 4.8.0.31. Attackers may write files to arbitrary locations via a local attack vector. This allows attackers to assume the privileges of the process, and they may delete or otherwise on unauthorized files, allowing for the potential modification or deletion of sensitive files limited only to that specific directory/file object. This vulnerability is bounded to the time of installation/uninstallation and can only be exploited locally. At the time of this disclosure, versions before 4.0 are classified as End of Life.

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

An NTFS Junction vulnerability in Qualys Cloud Agent for Windows (versions before 4.8.0.31) allows local attackers to manipulate file write locations during installation or uninstallation processes by exploiting junction point behavior, potentially achieving privilege escalation and unauthorized file modification or deletion.

MitigationUpgrade Qualys Cloud Agent to version 4.8.0.31 or later to remediate the NTFS Junction vulnerability; ensure any deployment follows proper change management given the local privilege escalation risk.

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
Cloud AgentApplication
Affected:>= 3.1.3.34, < 4.8.0.31

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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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. Confirm Qualys Cloud Agent is installed
    Check for the Qualys Cloud Agent Windows service using 'sc query qualys' or check Registry at HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\qualys
    Affected if The service 'qualys' or 'Qualys Cloud Agent' exists on the system
  2. Determine the installed version
    Run 'sc qc qualys' to query the service binary path, then right-click the executable in Program Files\Qualys\QualysCloudAgent\ and select Properties to view the version, or use 'wmic product where "name like '%Qualys%'" get version'
    Affected if The displayed version falls within >= 3.1.3.34 and < 4.8.0.31
  3. Verify the service runs with elevated privileges
    Run 'sc qc qualys' and check the START_TYPE configuration; also run 'tasklist /svc | findstr -i qualys' to list the running service process
    Affected if The Qualys service runs as SYSTEM or another privileged account (this is required for the privilege escalation impact)
  4. Check for NTFS junction point manipulation opportunities
    Review installation and uninstallation logs in %ProgramData%\Qualys\ for any junction point references, and inspect the agent's installation directories for writable locations where an attacker could create junctions
    Affected if The agent directories are writable by low-privilege users and junction points can be created in the agent's installation paths

You are affected if Qualys Cloud Agent is installed with a version between 3.1.3.34 and 4.8.0.30 inclusive and the service runs with elevated privileges, allowing potential NTFS junction exploitation during install/uninstall 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 4.8.0.31 or later
Fixed in 4.8.0.31
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Qualys Cloud Agent to version 4.8.0.31 or later to remediate the NTFS Junction vulnerability; ensure any deployment follows proper change management given the local privilege escalation risk.

Recommended fix High confidence

4.8.0.31

  1. Download Qualys Cloud Agent version 4.8.0.31 or later from the official Qualys support portal or vendor distribution channels
  2. Stop the Qualys Cloud Agent Windows service before upgrading
  3. Install the updated Cloud Agent version 4.8.0.31 using the appropriate installer for your deployment method
  4. Verify the installed version matches or exceeds 4.8.0.31 by checking the agent UI or command line
  5. Restart the Qualys Cloud Agent service and confirm normal operation
Caveat Version 4.0 and earlier are End of Life; ensure compatibility with your scanning infrastructure

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

Fix this in Cloud Agent Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2023-28141 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
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