How severe is CVE-2023-28140?

CVE-2023-28140 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2023-28140 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (12th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2023-28140?

CVE-2023-28140 affects Qualys Cloud Agent. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2023-28140?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2023-28140 published?

CVE-2023-28140 was published on 2023-04-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2023-28140

CVE-2023-28140 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Qualys Cloud Agent with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.7. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-427.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.7)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (12th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-427
Affected product: Qualys Cloud Agent
Published: 2023-04-18
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An Executable Hijacking condition exists in the Qualys Cloud Agent for Windows platform in versions before 4.5.3.1. Attackers may load a malicious copy of a Dependency Link Library (DLL) via a local attack vector instead of the DLL that the application was expecting, when processes are running with escalated privileges. This vulnerability is bounded only to the time of uninstallation and can only be exploited locally. At the time of this disclosure, versions before 4.0 are classified as End of Life.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2023-28140?: An Executable Hijacking condition exists in the Qualys Cloud Agent for Windows platform in versions before 4.5.3.1. Attackers may load a malicious copy of a Dependency Link Library (DLL) via a local attack vector instead of the DLL that the application was expecting, when processes are running with escalated privileges. This vulnerability is bounded only to the time of uninstallation and can only be exploited locally. At the time of this disclosure, versions before 4.0 are classified as End of Life.
How severe is CVE-2023-28140?: CVE-2023-28140 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2023-28140 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (12th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2023-28140?: CVE-2023-28140 affects Qualys Cloud Agent. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2023-28140?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2023-28140 published?: CVE-2023-28140 was published on 2023-04-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://www.qualys.com/security-advisories/

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:qualys:cloud_agent:*:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Qualys Cloud Agent

CVE-2023-28143 — Medium (CVSS 6.7): Qualys Cloud Agent for macOS (versions 2.5.1-75 before 3.7) installer allows a local escalation of privilege bounded…
CVE-2023-28142 — Medium (CVSS 6.7): A Race Condition exists in the Qualys Cloud Agent for Windows platform in versions from 3.1.3.34 and before 4.5.3.1.…
CVE-2023-28141 — Medium (CVSS 6.7): An NTFS Junction condition exists in the Qualys Cloud Agent for Windows platform in versions before 4.8.0.31. Attackers…
CVE-2022-29550 — Medium (CVSS 5.5): An issue was discovered in Qualys Cloud Agent 4.8.0-49. It writes "ps auxwwe" output to the…

All CVEs affecting Qualys Cloud Agent →

Other CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element) vulnerabilities

CVE-2025-4981 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): Mattermost versions 10.5.x <= 10.5.5, 9.11.x <= 9.11.15, 10.8.x <= 10.8.0, 10.7.x <= 10.7.2, 10.6.x <= 10.6.5 fail to…
CVE-2025-69599 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): RayVentory Scan Engine through 12.6 Update 8 allows attackers to gain privileges if they control the value of the PATH…
CVE-2019-25268 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): NREL BEopt 2.8.0.0 contains a DLL hijacking vulnerability that allows attackers to load arbitrary libraries by tricking…
CVE-2023-53959 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): FileZilla Client 3.63.1 contains a DLL hijacking vulnerability that allows attackers to execute malicious code by…
CVE-2025-65741 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Sublime Text 3 Build 3208 or prior for MacOS is vulnerable to Dylib Injection. An attacker could compile a .dylib file…
CVE-2024-23054 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An issue in Plone Docker Official Image 5.2.13 (5221) open-source software that could allow for remote code execution…

Browse all CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element) vulnerabilities →