CVE-2023-28892
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 · uneditedMalwarebytes AdwCleaner 8.4.0 runs as Administrator and performs an insecure file delete operation on C:\AdwCleaner\Logs\AdwCleaner_Debug.log in which the target location is user-controllable, allowing a non-admin user to escalate privileges to SYSTEM via a symbolic link.
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 confidenceMalwarebytes AdwCleaner 8.4.0 runs with Administrator privileges and performs an insecure file delete operation on C:\AdwCleaner\Logs\AdwCleaner_Debug.log where the target path is user-controllable. A local attacker can exploit this by creating a symbolic link from the log file path to a privileged system file, causing the application (running as SYSTEM) to delete that file when the operation executes, achieving privilege escalation.
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<= 8.4.0CVSS 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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Identify AdwCleaner versionCheck the installed version of Malwarebytes AdwCleaner. Look in the program files directory (typically C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes\AdwCleaner or C:\Program Files (x86)\Malwarebytes\AdwCleaner) for version information, or check Add/Remove Programs for the installed version number.Affected if The installed version is 8.4.0 or lower.
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Verify the log file path existsCheck if the directory C:\AdwCleaner\Logs exists on the system and inspect its contents to see if AdwCleaner_Debug.log is present or can be created.Affected if The directory C:\AdwCleaner\Logs exists and is writable by a local user.
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Check AdwCleaner execution contextDetermine if AdwCleaner runs with elevated privileges (Administrator or SYSTEM). This can be observed when the application is executed or by checking its service configuration if it runs as a service.Affected if AdwCleaner executes with Administrator or SYSTEM privileges.
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Assess symlink vulnerability potentialVerify if a local unprivileged user can create symbolic links in the C:\AdwCleaner\Logs directory or if the log file path can be manipulated to point to privileged system files.Affected if A local attacker can create a symbolic link from the log file path to a protected system file.
A system is affected if AdwCleaner version 8.4.0 or lower is installed, runs with elevated privileges, and the log file path is writable by a local attacker who could place a symbolic link to escalate privileges.
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 dataThe fix requires implementing secure file deletion that either validates paths don't contain symbolic links before deletion, uses APIs that don't follow symlinks (like DeleteFile with FILE_FLAG_OPEN_REPARSE_POINT), or implements proper path canonicalization with access control checks.
- 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-2023-28892 — 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-2023-28892 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
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