Incorrect AuthorizationWeakness · CWE-863

CVE-2024-55579

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
95/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
An issue was discovered in Qlik Sense Enterprise for Windows before November 2024 IR. An unprivileged user with network access may be able to create connection objects that trigger execution of arbitrary EXE files. This is fixed in November 2024 IR, May 2024 Patch 10, February 2024 Patch 14, November 2023 Patch 16, August 2023 Patch 16, May 2023 Patch 18, and February 2023 Patch 15.

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

An authorization flaw in Qlik Sense Enterprise for Windows allows unprivileged users with network access to create connection objects that execute arbitrary EXE files, resulting in arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges.

MitigationApply the November 2024 IR patch (or May 2024 Patch 10 / February 2024 Patch 14 / later) to remediate the improper authorization control that permits unprivileged users to create executable connection objects.

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Qlik Sense installation and version
    Locate Qlik Sense installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Qlik\Sense) and check the version from the About dialog in QMC or via PowerShell: Get-ChildItem 'C:\Program Files\Qlik\Sense\Server\Repository\*.dll' | Select-Object Name, VersionInfo
    Affected if Installed version predates the November 2024 IR patch or May 2024 Patch 10 and the software is accessible to unprivileged network users
  2. Verify user permissions for connection object creation
    In Qlik Management Console (QMC), navigate to Resources > Connections and check if unprivileged users (non-admin) have the ability to create new connection objects, or inspect the security rules in the QMC under QMC section > Security
    Affected if Unprivileged users have Create permission for connection objects in the security rules
  3. Confirm service account privileges
    Open Windows Services (services.msc), locate 'Qlik Sense Repository Service' and check the 'Log on as' account - verify if it runs under a privileged account (such as Domain Admin, Local System, or a service account with elevated SQL permissions)
    Affected if The Qlik Sense services run under an account with elevated Windows privileges (Local System, Domain Admin, or similar)
  4. Check network accessibility
    Verify that the Qlik Sense proxy/hub ports (typically 4242, 443, or 80) are exposed to the network and accessible to untrusted users, using netstat or firewall rules: netsh advfirewall firewall show rule name=all | findstr Qlik
    Affected if Qlik Sense web interfaces are reachable from untrusted network segments without proper segmentation

A user is affected if they run a Qlik Sense Enterprise for Windows version older than the November 2024 IR or May 2024 Patch 10, the service runs with elevated privileges, and unprivileged users can create connection objects that are accessible over the network.

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

Apply the November 2024 IR patch (or May 2024 Patch 10 / February 2024 Patch 14 / later) to remediate the improper authorization control that permits unprivileged users to create executable connection objects.

Recommended fix High confidence

Any of: November 2024 IR, May 2024 Patch 10, February 2024 Patch 14, November 2023 Patch 16, August 2023 Patch 16, May 2023 Patch 18, or February 2023 Patch 15

  1. 1. Identify the current Qlik Sense Enterprise for Windows version by accessing the QMC (Qlik Management Console) or checking the installation
  2. 2. Determine if the current version is vulnerable by comparing against the unpatched versions (prior to the February 2023 Patch 15)
  3. 3. Plan the upgrade to one of the fixed versions: November 2024 IR, May 2024 Patch 10, February 2024 Patch 14, November 2023 Patch 16, August 2023 Patch 16, May 2023 Patch 18, or February 2023 Patch 15
  4. 4. Back up the Qlik Sense repository (QSR) and all associated databases before proceeding with the patch upgrade
  5. 5. Review Qlik's upgrade documentation and release notes for the target patch version
  6. 6. Apply the selected patch following Qlik's standard patching procedures
  7. 7. After patching, verify that the Qlik Sense services are running correctly
  8. 8. Test that unprivileged users can no longer create connection objects that execute arbitrary EXE files
Caveat Standard patch upgrade risks apply - review release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes in the target patch version

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2024-55579 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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