{"id":"CVE-2023-49797","state":"PUBLISHED","title":"Local Privilege Escalation in pyinstaller on Windows","description":"PyInstaller bundles a Python application and all its dependencies into a single package. A PyInstaller built application, elevated as a privileged process, may be tricked by an unprivileged attacker into deleting files the unprivileged user does not otherwise have access to. A user is affected if **all** the following are satisfied: 1. The user runs an application containing either `matplotlib` or `win32com`. 2. The application is ran as administrator (or at least a user with higher privileges than the attacker). 3. The user's temporary directory is not locked to that specific user (most likely due to `TMP`/`TEMP` environment variables pointing to an unprotected, arbitrary, non default location). Either: A. The attacker is able to very carefully time the replacement of a temporary file with a symlink. This switch must occur exactly between `shutil.rmtree()`'s builtin symlink check and the deletion itself B: The application was built with Python 3.7.x or earlier which has no protection against Directory Junctions links. The vulnerability has been addressed in PR #7827 which corresponds to `pyinstaller >= 5.13.1`. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.","publishedAt":"2023-12-09T00:42:46.182Z","updatedAt":"2025-02-13T17:18:55.900Z","severity":{"score":8.8,"label":"High","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","source":"GitHub_M"},"assigner":"GitHub_M","products":["pyinstaller pyinstaller"],"affected":[{"vendor":"pyinstaller","product":"pyinstaller","versions":[{"version":"< 5.13.1","status":"affected"}]}],"references":["https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/security/advisories/GHSA-9w2p-rh8c-v9g5","https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/pull/7827","https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/0fb18b02c8ad56299d6a2910be0bab8ad601ef24/Lib/shutil.py#L623","https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ISRWT34FAF23PUOLVZ7RVWBZMWPDR5U7/","https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2K2XIQLEMZIKUQUOWNDYWTEWYQTKMAN7/"],"weaknesses":["CWE-379","CWE-732"],"ingestedAt":"2026-10-29T20:06:24.729Z","source":{"repository":"CVEProject/cvelistV5","path":"cves/2023/49xxx/CVE-2023-49797.json","commit":"556c9d3a8cd17e218bb8e452ba7cd619a384ff47"},"raw":{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.1","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2023-49797","state":"PUBLISHED","datePublished":"2023-12-09T00:42:46.182Z","dateUpdated":"2025-02-13T17:18:55.900Z","assignerShortName":"GitHub_M","assignerOrgId":"a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa","dateReserved":"2023-11-30T13:39:50.863Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"title":"Local Privilege Escalation in pyinstaller on Windows","descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"PyInstaller bundles a Python application and all its dependencies into a single package. A PyInstaller built application, elevated as a privileged process, may be tricked by an unprivileged attacker into deleting files the unprivileged user does not otherwise have access to. A user is affected if **all** the following are satisfied: 1. The user runs an application containing either `matplotlib` or `win32com`. 2. The application is ran as administrator (or at least a user with higher privileges than the attacker). 3. The user's temporary directory is not locked to that specific user (most likely due to `TMP`/`TEMP` environment variables pointing to an unprotected, arbitrary, non default location). Either: A. The attacker is able to very carefully time the replacement of a temporary file with a symlink. This switch must occur exactly between `shutil.rmtree()`'s builtin symlink check and the deletion itself B: The application was built with Python 3.7.x or earlier which has no protection against Directory Junctions links. The vulnerability has been addressed in PR #7827 which corresponds to `pyinstaller >= 5.13.1`. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability."}],"affected":[{"vendor":"pyinstaller","product":"pyinstaller","versions":[{"version":"< 5.13.1","status":"affected"}]}],"references":[{"url":"https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/security/advisories/GHSA-9w2p-rh8c-v9g5","name":"https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/security/advisories/GHSA-9w2p-rh8c-v9g5","tags":["x_refsource_CONFIRM"]},{"url":"https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/pull/7827","name":"https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/pull/7827","tags":["x_refsource_MISC"]},{"url":"https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/0fb18b02c8ad56299d6a2910be0bab8ad601ef24/Lib/shutil.py#L623","name":"https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/0fb18b02c8ad56299d6a2910be0bab8ad601ef24/Lib/shutil.py#L623","tags":["x_refsource_MISC"]},{"url":"https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ISRWT34FAF23PUOLVZ7RVWBZMWPDR5U7/"},{"url":"https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2K2XIQLEMZIKUQUOWNDYWTEWYQTKMAN7/"}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"attackComplexity":"LOW","attackVector":"LOCAL","availabilityImpact":"HIGH","baseScore":8.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH","confidentialityImpact":"HIGH","integrityImpact":"HIGH","privilegesRequired":"LOW","scope":"CHANGED","userInteraction":"NONE","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","version":"3.1"}}],"problemTypes":[{"descriptions":[{"cweId":"CWE-379","lang":"en","description":"CWE-379: Creation of Temporary File in Directory with Insecure Permissions","type":"CWE"}]},{"descriptions":[{"cweId":"CWE-732","lang":"en","description":"CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource","type":"CWE"}]}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"GitHub_M","orgId":"a0819718-46f1-4df5-94e2-005712e83aaa","dateUpdated":"2023-12-19T02:07:02.864Z"},"source":{"advisory":"GHSA-9w2p-rh8c-v9g5","discovery":"UNKNOWN"}},"adp":[{"title":"CVE Program Container","references":[{"url":"https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/security/advisories/GHSA-9w2p-rh8c-v9g5","name":"https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/security/advisories/GHSA-9w2p-rh8c-v9g5","tags":["x_refsource_CONFIRM","x_transferred"]},{"url":"https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/pull/7827","name":"https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/pull/7827","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","x_transferred"]},{"url":"https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/0fb18b02c8ad56299d6a2910be0bab8ad601ef24/Lib/shutil.py#L623","name":"https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/0fb18b02c8ad56299d6a2910be0bab8ad601ef24/Lib/shutil.py#L623","tags":["x_refsource_MISC","x_transferred"]},{"url":"https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ISRWT34FAF23PUOLVZ7RVWBZMWPDR5U7/","tags":["x_transferred"]},{"url":"https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2K2XIQLEMZIKUQUOWNDYWTEWYQTKMAN7/","tags":["x_transferred"]}],"providerMetadata":{"shortName":"CVE","orgId":"af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108","dateUpdated":"2024-08-02T22:01:26.027Z"}}]}}}