CVE-2024-6141
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 · uneditedWindscribe Directory Traversal Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Windscribe. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the Windscribe Service. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of a user-supplied path prior to using it in file operations. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-23441.
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 confidenceA directory traversal vulnerability exists in the Windscribe VPN service where the application fails to properly validate user-supplied paths before performing file operations. An attacker with the ability to execute low-privileged code can manipulate path traversal sequences (e.g., ../) to access or overwrite sensitive files, ultimately escalating to SYSTEM privileges and executing arbitrary code.
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= 2.9.9CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Windscribe installationCheck if Windscribe VPN client is installed by searching for the Windscribe service or process. On Windows, run 'sc query windscribe' or check Program Files for Windscribe directory.Affected if Windscribe service or executable is found on the system
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Check installed versionIdentify the exact version of Windscribe installed. Check the application version through the GUI, or inspect the executable file properties of the Windscribe binary.Affected if The installed version is exactly 2.9.9
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Confirm Windscribe service is runningVerify the Windscribe Windows service is active. Use 'sc query windscribeservice' or check Services snap-in for Windscribe service status.Affected if The Windscribe service is currently running on the system
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Verify low-privileged code execution contextReview system for any indicators that an attacker has already achieved initial low-privileged code execution, such as suspicious processes under user accounts, unexpected scheduled tasks, or unauthorized service creation.Affected if Evidence exists of prior low-privileged code execution that could serve as the initial attack vector for this vulnerability
You are affected if Windscribe version 2.9.9 is installed and running, and an attacker has already achieved low-privileged code execution to leverage the directory traversal for privilege escalation.
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 dataApply the vendor patch from Windscribe when available. In the interim, restrict user permissions to the Windscribe service and monitor for suspicious file access patterns from the service account.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-6141 — 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-2024-6141 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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