CVE-2023-47039

Perl: perl for windows binary hijacking vulnerability

HIGH
7.8
CVSS Score
Published: January 2, 2024 at 05:30 AM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 06:32 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorPerl· also runs on 1 platform

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Severity
HIGH7.8
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.4%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

A vulnerability was found in Perl. This security issue occurs while Perl for Windows relies on the system path environment variable to find the shell (`cmd.exe`). When running an executable that uses the Windows Perl interpreter, Perl attempts to find and execute `cmd.exe` within the operating system. However, due to path search order issues, Perl initially looks for cmd.exe in the current working directory. This flaw allows an attacker with limited privileges to place`cmd.exe` in locations with weak permissions, such as `C:\ProgramData`. By doing so, arbitrary code can be executed when an administrator attempts to use this executable from these compromised locations.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

v < 5.32.1
Affected range stops below 5.32.1, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement
microsoft-windows (environment)

Runs on — not affected

The affected product only carries this flaw when running on these platforms. The platforms themselves are not vulnerable.

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet. What the record does show:

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatableTotal impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

7.8HIGHredhat
Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-122CWE-787

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