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NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitHub_M

CVE-2023-44387: Gradle has incorrect permission assignment for symlinked files used in copy or archiving operations

MediumCVSS 6.5 · v3.1—No exploit No fix recorded

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 26/100)

  • 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: 0.22% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • No fixed version is recorded, but the references include a patch (commit or PR) link.
  • Severity is disputed: the assigning authority (CNA) scores it 3.2, NVD 6.5.

Low priority for now. See the fix and affected versions sections below.

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

Gradle is a build tool with a focus on build automation and support for multi-language development. When copying or archiving symlinked files, Gradle resolves them but applies the permissions of the symlink itself instead of the permissions of the linked file to the resulting file. This leads to files having too much permissions given that symlinks usually are world readable and writeable. While it is unlikely this results in a direct vulnerability for the impacted build, it may open up attack vectors depending on where build artifacts end up being copied to or un-archived. In versions 7.6.3, 8.4 and above, Gradle will now properly use the permissions of the file pointed at by the symlink to set permissions of the copied or archived file.

Published
Oct 5, 2023
Updated
Oct 8, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 12th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

26

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
26 / 40 · 6.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
6.5
CNA · GitHub_M
3.2
3.3 point gap

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N

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.

Follow CVE-2023-44387

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi 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.

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Affected 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.

VendorProduct
gradlegradle

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • gradle gradle

    • >= 7.6.0, < 7.6.3, < 8.4.0affected

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • gradle gradlebefore 7.6.3
  • gradle gradle8.0.0 and later · before 8.4.0

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12gradlefrom 0—

Same product

gradle: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2019-15052The HTTP client in Gradle before 5.6 sends authentication credentials originally destined for the configured host.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2016-6199ObjectSocketWrapper.java in Gradle 2.12 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted serialized object.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2023-26053Gradle usage of long IDs for PGP keys opens potential for collision attacks
    39Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-35946Jun 30, 2023 · Dependency cache path traversal in Gradle
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-35947Jun 30, 2023 · Path traversal vulnerabilities in handling of Tar archives in Gradle
    32Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2023-42445Oct 6, 2023 · Possible local file exfiltration by XML External entity injection
    21Monitor

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.

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
high · data can be read
Integrity
none
Availability
none

Impact can extend beyond the vulnerable component (scope changes).

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality impact
High
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
None

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-732 · Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

References

Show all references (4 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records