CVE-2023-36534: Path traversal in Zoom Desktop Client for Windows before 5.14.7 may allow an unauthenticated user to enable an escalation of privilege via…
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 39/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.5% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 75.9% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.
- Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).
Low priority for now. Update when a fix is released; follow the vendor's advisory.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
Path traversal in Zoom Desktop Client for Windows before 5.14.7 may allow an unauthenticated user to enable an escalation of privilege via network access.
- Published
- Aug 8, 2023
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 1.5% · 75th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-22
Report tools
Action score
39
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 1.5%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 9.8
- CNA · Zoom
- 9.3
- 0.5 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:H
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- No fixed version yet
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
Is your version affected? Check itNoroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| zoom | zoom | cpe:2.3:a:zoom:zoom |
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Zoom). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
Zoom Video Communications, Inc. Zoom Desktop Client for Windows
- before 5.14.7affected
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- zoom zoombefore 5.14.7
Same product
zoom: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2020-6109An exploitable path traversal vulnerability exists in the Zoom client, version 4.6.10 processes messages including animated GIFs.40Plan
- CVE-2018-15715Zoom clients on Windows (before version 4.1.34814.1119), Mac OS (before version 4.1.34801.1116), and Linux (2.4.129780.0915 and below) are…40Plan
- CVE-2017-15049The ZoomLauncher binary in the Zoom client for Linux before 2.0.115900.1201 does not properly sanitize user input when constructing a shell…40Plan
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-34114Jun 13, 2023 · Exposure of resource to wrong sphere in Zoom for Windows and Zoom for MacOS clients before 5.14.10 may allow an authenticated user to…26Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2023-34116Jul 11, 2023 · Improper input validation in the Zoom Desktop Client for Windows before version 5.15.0 may allow an unauthorized user to enable an…35Monitor
- Later →CVE-2023-36540Aug 8, 2023 · Untrusted search path in the installer for Zoom Desktop Client for Windows before 5.14.5 may allow an authenticated user to enable an…31Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)
Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.
- TR-23-0453 · Aug 9, 2023(Zoom Güvenlik Zafiyeti)
Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-22 · Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
A user-supplied file name is joined with the allowed directory, but the result is never checked to confirm it is still inside that directory.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-22 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
const file = path.join(ROOT, req.query.name);
res.sendFile(file);Fixed
const file = path.resolve(ROOT, req.query.name);
if (!file.startsWith(ROOT + path.sep)) {
return res.sendStatus(400);
}
res.sendFile(file);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Path TraversalCAPEC-126likelihood: High · Very High
- Using Slashes and URL Encoding Combined to Bypass Validation LogicCAPEC-64likelihood: High · High
- Manipulating Web Input to File System CallsCAPEC-76likelihood: High · Very High
- Using Escaped Slashes in Alternate EncodingCAPEC-78likelihood: High · High
- Using Slashes in Alternate EncodingCAPEC-79likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log (0)
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.