CVE-2023-45159
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 · unedited1E Client installer can perform arbitrary file deletion on protected files. A non-privileged user could provide a symbolic link or Windows junction to point to a protected directory in the installer that the 1E Client would then clear on service startup. A hotfix is available from the 1E support portal that forces the 1E Client to check for a symbolic link or junction and if it finds one refuses to use that path and instead creates a path involving a random GUID. for v8.1 use hotfix Q23097 for v8.4 use hotfix Q23105 for v9.0 use hotfix Q23115 for SaaS customers, use 1EClient v23.7 plus hotfix Q23121
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 confidenceThe 1E Client installer contains a path traversal vulnerability where it follows symbolic links or Windows junctions to protected directories. A non-privileged attacker can exploit this by creating a symlink/junction pointing to a protected directory, causing the installer to delete arbitrary protected files during service startup.
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= 8.1.2.62= 8.4.1.159= 9.0.1.88= 23.7.1.151CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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 installed 1E Client versionCheck the version of the 1E Client installation using the Windows Programs and Features list, or query the version from the 1E Client executable or service properties. The executable is typically named 1E.Client.exe or similar in the installation directory.Affected if The installed version matches exactly 8.1.2.62, 8.4.1.159, 9.0.1.88, or 23.7.1.151
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Confirm 1E Client service configurationOpen Services.msc and locate the 1E Client service. Check whether the service is present and set to start automatically (Automatic start type).Affected if The 1E Client service exists and is configured to start automatically, making it vulnerable to exploitation during service startup
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Examine installation directory for symlinks or junctionsUse 'dir /AL /S' command or Sysinternals 'junction' tool to list any symbolic links or junctions within the 1E Client installation directory tree. Also check the parent directory where the service writes temporary files.Affected if Any symbolic links or Windows junctions are found pointing to protected system directories (such as System32, config folders, or other sensitive locations)
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Verify presence of GUID-based fallback pathAfter the hotfix is applied, the installation directory should contain a randomly named GUID subfolder used for temporary operations. Check if this folder structure exists as an indicator of the patched behavior.Affected if The installation directory does NOT contain a random GUID-based subfolder, indicating the hotfix with symlink/junction detection is not installed
A defender is affected if the installed 1E Client version exactly matches one of the four listed versions (8.1.2.62, 8.4.1.159, 9.0.1.88, or 23.7.1.151) and the service is configured to run, particularly if no GUID-based fallback path exists in the installation directory.
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.
dbcve · scopedApply the version-specific hotfix (Q23097 for v8.1, Q23105 for v8.4, Q23115 for v9.0) or upgrade to 1EClient v23.7 with hotfix Q23121 for SaaS deployments. The hotfix adds detection for symbolic links/junctions and redirects to a random GUID-based path.
- For version 8.1.x (specifically 8.1.2.62): Obtain and apply hotfix Q23097 from the 1E support portal
- For version 8.4.x (specifically 8.4.1.159): Obtain and apply hotfix Q23105 from the 1E support portal
- For version 9.0.x (specifically 9.0.1.88): Obtain and apply hotfix Q23115 from the 1E support portal
- For SaaS customers on version 23.7.x (specifically 23.7.1.151): Obtain and apply hotfix Q23121 from the 1E support portal
- After applying the hotfix, verify the 1E Client service startup behavior now properly detects symbolic links and Windows junctions, and creates a random GUID-based path instead of following the symlink
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-45159 — 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-2023-45159 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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