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Simple EditorApplication · Lg

CVE-2023-40516

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
LG Simple Editor Incorrect Permission Assignment Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of LG Simple Editor. 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 product installer. The product sets incorrect permissions on folders. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-20327.

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 confidence

The LG Simple Editor installer sets overly permissive folder permissions, allowing a local attacker with low-privilege code execution to modify files in those directories and escalate to SYSTEM privileges by replacing or injecting executable content.

MitigationRestrict folder permissions on the installed LG Simple Editor directories to prevent write access by non-privileged users; apply vendor patches when available.

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
Simple EditorApplication
Affected:= 3.21.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify LG Simple Editor installation
    Check Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for LG Simple Editor, or search for the executable in Program Files directories
    Affected if LG Simple Editor version 3.21.0 is found installed
  2. Confirm installed version number
    Locate the LG Simple Editor executable or its version info (likely in Program Files\LG Simple Editor or Program Files (x86)\LG Simple Editor), right-click and view Properties to see the File Version
    Affected if File version shows exactly 3.21.0
  3. Identify installation directories
    Note the installation path from step 1; common locations include Program Files\LG Simple Editor or Program Files (x86)\LG Simple Editor
    Affected if Installation directory exists on the system
  4. Check folder permissions for write access
    Open Command Prompt and run: icacls "<install_path>\*" (replace with actual path). Examine the output for permissions granted to Users, Everyone, or Authenticated Users groups
    Affected if Folders show (CI)(WO) meaning Create Objects/Write, or grant write/modify to standard users or Everyone
  5. Verify executable modification risk
    Run: icacls "<install_path>\*.exe" to check if non-admin users have write permission to executable files in the installation folder
    Affected if EXE files are writable by low-privilege users (show (F) Full Control or (W) Write for Users/Authenticated Users)

If LG Simple Editor version 3.21.0 is installed AND its directories grant write access to standard users or unprivileged accounts, the system is vulnerable to privilege escalation via executable modification.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict folder permissions on the installed LG Simple Editor directories to prevent write access by non-privileged users; apply vendor patches when available.

Fix this in Simple Editor Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
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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-2023-40516 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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