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

CVE-2024-9498

HIGH · 8.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
89/100
Remediation priority · High
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
DLL hijacking vulnerabilities, caused by an uncontrolled search path in the USBXpress SDK installer can lead to privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution when running the impacted installer.

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

This is a DLL hijacking vulnerability in the USBXpress SDK installer caused by an uncontrolled search path. The installer loads DLLs from directories writable by low-privilege users, allowing injection of malicious DLLs that execute with elevated privileges during installation, leading to privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution.

MitigationAvoid using affected versions of the USBXpress SDK installer until a hardened version is available; review systems where this SDK has been deployed for signs of compromise.

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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 if USBXpress SDK is installed
    Search for USBXpress SDK directories on the system. Common locations include: C:\SiliconLabs\USBXpress\, C:\Program Files\Silicon Labs\USBXpress\, or check Program Files for 'USBXpress' folder. Also check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for USBXpress entries.
    Affected if USBXpress SDK directory or registry entry exists on the system.
  2. Determine USBXpress SDK version
    Locate the installer or SDK version file within the USBXpress directory. Check for files like version.txt, or examine the installer executable properties if available. Compare against any known affected version ranges from vendor advisories.
    Affected if Installed version matches known vulnerable version range for CVE-2024-9498.
  3. Inspect installation directory permissions
    Right-click the USBXpress installation folder, go to Properties > Security, and check which users have Write or Modify permissions. Use command: icacls "C:\Path\To\USBXpress" to list permissions.
    Affected if Any low-privilege user or group (such as Users or Authenticated Users) has Write permissions to directories within the USBXpress installation path.
  4. Check for unauthorized DLLs in installation path
    List all DLL files in the USBXpress directory and subdirectories. Compare against known legitimate DLLs from a clean installation. Look for recently created or modified DLLs, especially those in writable locations.
    Affected if Unexpected or recently added DLL files are present in the USBXpress installation directory.
  5. Review installation logs for DLL load failures
    Check Windows Event Viewer under Application and Setup logs for events around the time of USBXpress installation. Look for warnings about failed DLL loads or suspicious DLL loading paths.
    Affected if Event logs show DLLs being loaded from unexpected or writable paths during installation.

A system is affected if USBXpress SDK is installed with a vulnerable version and the installation directory or its subdirectories are writable by low-privilege users, allowing potential DLL hijacking.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Avoid using affected versions of the USBXpress SDK installer until a hardened version is available; review systems where this SDK has been deployed for signs of compromise.

Have this fixed 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
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-9498 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-9498 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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