CVE-2023-4931
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 · uneditedUncontrolled search path element vulnerability in Plesk Installer affects version 3.27.0.0. A local attacker could execute arbitrary code by injecting DLL files into the same folder where the application is installed, resulting in DLL hijacking in edputil.dll, samlib.dll, urlmon.dll, sspicli.dll, propsys.dll and profapi.dll files.
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 confidencePlesk Installer version 3.27.0.0 contains an uncontrolled search path element vulnerability allowing DLL hijacking. A local attacker can place malicious DLL files (edputil.dll, samlib.dll, urlmon.dll, sspicli.dll, propsys.dll, profapi.dll) in the installation directory, which the application will load when executed, enabling arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the running process.
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= 3.27.0.0CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Check Plesk Installer versionLocate the Plesk Installer executable and check its version. On Windows, right-click the executable and select Properties > Details to view the File Version. On Linux, run 'plesk version' or check /opt/plesk/installer/version.plAffected if Version equals 3.27.0.0 exactly
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Locate Plesk installation directoryIdentify the directory where Plesk is installed. Common paths are C:\plesk\ or C:\Program Files\Plesk\ on Windows, or /opt/plesk/ on Linux. Check theplesk_installer executable location.Affected if Unable to locate the installation directory
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Scan for suspicious DLL filesSearch the Plesk installation directory for these specific files: edputil.dll, samlib.dll, urlmon.dll, sspicli.dll, propsys.dll, profapi.dll. Use command: dir /s C:\plesk\*.dll (adjust path as needed) or ls /opt/plesk/*/*.dllAffected if Any of these six DLL files exist in the Plesk installation directory and were not originally part of the Plesk installation
A system is affected if Plesk Installer version 3.27.0.0 is present AND any of the six suspicious DLL files (edputil.dll, samlib.dll, urlmon.dll, sspicli.dll, propsys.dll, profapi.dll) are found in the Plesk 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.
From vendor dataImplement secure DLL search path ordering by using absolute paths for DLL loading or enabling safe DLL loading modes (e.g., SetDllDirectory with empty string to remove current directory). Upgrade to a patched version if available from Plesk.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-4931 — 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-2023-4931 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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