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Uncontrolled Search Path (DLL Hijack)Weakness · CWE-427

CVE-2024-2658

HIGH · 8.5 CVSS v4.0 Published 2025-01-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
87/100
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
A misconfiguration in lmadmin.exe of FlexNet Publisher versions prior to 2024 R1 (11.19.6.0) allows the OpenSSL configuration file to load from a non-existent directory. An unauthorized, locally authenticated user with low privileges can potentially create the directory and load a specially crafted openssl.conf file leading to the execution of a malicious DLL (Dynamic-Link Library) 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 · high confidence

The lmadmin.exe component in FlexNet Publisher versions prior to 2024 R1 (11.19.6.0) attempts to load an OpenSSL configuration file from a directory that may not exist on the system. A low-privilege authenticated user can create this directory and place a malicious openssl.conf file that triggers loading of a specially crafted DLL, which executes with elevated privileges due to how lmadmin.exe runs.

MitigationUpgrade to FlexNet Publisher 2024 R1 (11.19.6.0) or later to remediate the directory misconfiguration. Alternatively, ensure strict filesystem permissions on license server directories to prevent low-privilege users from creating directories in locations where lmadmin.exe searches for configuration files.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
Authentication
X
User interaction
None
Scope
X

CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

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. Locate lmadmin.exe on the system
    Search for lmadmin.exe in typical FlexNet installation paths such as C:\Program Files\FlexNet\, C:\Program Files (x86)\FlexNet\, or use 'where /r C:\ lmadmin.exe' from an elevated command prompt
    Affected if lmadmin.exe is found on the system, proceed to version check
  2. Determine the installed FlexNet Publisher version
    Right-click lmadmin.exe, select Properties, then view the Details tab for Product Version. Alternatively, run 'lmadmin -version' from the installation directory if supported, or check the Add/Remove Programs entry for FlexNet Publisher
    Affected if Version is present and is lower than 11.19.6.0, the system may be vulnerable
  3. Identify directories searched for openssl.conf
    Monitor lmadmin.exe execution with Process Monitor (ProcMon) from Sysinternals, filtering by path containing 'openssl.conf' or 'openssl.cnf' to observe which directories the process attempts to access
    Affected if lmadmin.exe attempts to load openssl.conf from a user-writable location
  4. Check permissions on the searched directory path
    Use icacls or File Explorer security tab to examine write permissions on the directory identified in step 3. Check if Authenticated Users or low-privilege users have Modify or Write permissions
    Affected if Low-privilege authenticated users can create subdirectories or files in the path lmadmin.exe searches for openssl.conf

The system is affected if FlexNet Publisher version is below 11.19.6.0 AND a directory in lmadmin.exe's search path for openssl.conf is writable by low-privilege users, allowing DLL preloading with elevated execution.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to FlexNet Publisher 2024 R1 (11.19.6.0) or later to remediate the directory misconfiguration. Alternatively, ensure strict filesystem permissions on license server directories to prevent low-privilege users from creating directories in locations where lmadmin.exe searches for configuration files.

Recommended fix High confidence

FlexNet Publisher 2024 R1 (11.19.6.0)

  1. Identify all servers/workstations running FlexNet Publisher lmadmin.exe
  2. Check current version of FlexNet Publisher (lmadmin.exe) to confirm it is prior to 11.19.6.0
  3. Obtain the fixed version FlexNet Publisher 2024 R1 (11.19.6.0) from the official Flexera download portal or your existing license fulfillment
  4. Backup the current FlexNet Publisher installation and configuration files
  5. Apply the upgrade by running the installer for version 2024 R1 (11.19.6.0)
  6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the lmadmin.exe version shows 11.19.6.0 or later
  7. Confirm the OpenSSL configuration now loads from the correct directory and not a user-controlled path

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,570
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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-2024-2658 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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