CVE-2023-3160
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 · uneditedThe vulnerability potentially allows an attacker to misuse ESET’s file operations during the module update to delete or move files without having proper permissions.
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 confidenceThis is a file operation vulnerability in ESET antivirus products where improper permission checks during module updates allow an attacker to delete or move files without proper authorization. The flaw exists in the file operations performed during the update process, representing a local privilege escalation or improper authorization issue.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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 ESET product installationCheck for ESET installation by querying the Windows registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\ESET or by looking for ESET in Add/Remove Programs. Common installation paths include C:\Program Files\ESET or C:\Program Files (x86)\ESET.Affected if Any ESET product from the list (Endpoint Antivirus, Endpoint Security, Internet Security, Mail Security, Nod32, Security, Server Security, Smart Security) is installed.
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Confirm running ESET servicesCheck if ESET services are active by running 'sc query' or viewing services.msc. Look for services named 'ekrn' (ESET Kernel Service), 'ESET Service', or similar ESET-related services.Affected if ESET services are running on the system.
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Check for module update capabilityExamine the ESET product configuration or logs for module update functionality. On Windows, check the ESET GUI or command line tool for update status, or review log files in the ESET installation directory under the 'logs' folder.Affected if Module updates are configured or have been performed, indicating the vulnerable code path is present.
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Identify installed ESET versionUse the ESET command line tool (e.g., esetgk.exe or via registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\ESET\Version) to determine the exact installed version and compare it against vendor release notes for the patch.Affected if The installed version is any version prior to the vendor-supplied patch addressing CVE-2023-3160.
If any ESET product from the affected product list is installed on the system, the environment is considered affected by CVE-2023-3160.
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 dataApply the vendor-supplied patch or update to ESET products addressing CVE-2023-3160, as the vulnerability allows unauthorized file operations during module updates.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-3160 — 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-2023-3160 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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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.
- 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