dbcve.org
Universal Device ClientApplication · Lenovo

CVE-2023-6338

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 23.10 or later.
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
Uncontrolled search path vulnerabilities were reported in the Lenovo Universal Device Client (UDC) that could allow an attacker with local access to execute code with elevated privileges.

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 confidence

Uncontrolled search path vulnerability in Lenovo Universal Device Client (UDC) allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges by exploiting how the application searches for and loads executable files or DLLs from untrusted locations in the system PATH.

MitigationRemediate by ensuring all executable and library loads use absolute paths, removing application directories from the system PATH, and auditing code for insecure file handling that could be hijacked for 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
Universal Device ClientApplication
Affected:< 23.10

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 Lenovo Universal Device Client installation
    Check for the presence of Lenovo UDC by searching common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Lenovo\UDC or C:\Program Files (x86)\Lenovo\UDC, and look for the udc.exe or UDCService.exe executable
    Affected if Lenovo UDC is found installed on the system
  2. Determine installed UDC version
    Right-click on udc.exe or UDCService.exe in the installation directory, select Properties, and check the File Version on the Details tab. Alternatively, open Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Lenovo\UniversalDeviceClient and read the Version value
    Affected if The reported version is less than 23.10
  3. Inspect system PATH for Lenovo UDC directories
    Open Command Prompt and run 'echo %PATH%' or right-click This PC > Properties > Advanced System Settings > Environment Variables > System Variables > Path to view the full PATH variable
    Affected if Any directory containing 'Lenovo' or 'UDC' appears in the system PATH, creating the vulnerable search path condition
  4. Check for World-writable directories in PATH
    Review each directory listed in the system PATH and verify write permissions using 'icacls <directory>' command for any non-admin users
    Affected if A directory in the PATH is writable by standard users and could be leveraged for DLL/EXE hijacking

A user is affected if Lenovo Universal Device Client version below 23.10 is installed with its directory or other writable directories present in the system PATH.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 23.10 or later
Fixed in 23.10
Interim mitigation

Remediate by ensuring all executable and library loads use absolute paths, removing application directories from the system PATH, and auditing code for insecure file handling that could be hijacked for privilege escalation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Universal Device Client 23.10 or later

  1. 1. Check the current installed version of Lenovo Universal Device Client by opening the application or checking Add/Remove Programs
  2. 2. Navigate to Lenovo support website (support.lenovo.com) and search for Universal Device Client
  3. 3. Download Lenovo Universal Device Client version 23.10 or later
  4. 4. Close any running instances of the Universal Device Client
  5. 5. Install the updated version following the on-screen instructions
  6. 6. Verify the installation completed successfully and the version shows 23.10 or later
  7. 7. Restart any services if prompted

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Universal Device Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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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-2023-6338 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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