How severe is CVE-2026-44470?

CVE-2026-44470 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2026-44470 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (5th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2026-44470?

CVE-2026-44470 affects Anthropic Claude Desktop. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2026-44470?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

Does CVE-2026-44470 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2026-44470 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-30049.

When was CVE-2026-44470 published?

CVE-2026-44470 was published on 2026-05-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2026-44470

CVE-2026-44470 is a high-severity vulnerability in Anthropic Claude Desktop with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. 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-59.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v4: 8.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (5th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2026-30049
Weakness: CWE-59
Affected product: Anthropic Claude Desktop
Published: 2026-05-13
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The Claude Desktop app gives you Claude Code with a graphical interface built for running multiple sessions side by side. Prior to 1.3834.0, the CoworkVMService component in Claude Desktop for Windows ran as SYSTEM and did not validate whether the VM bundle directory was a real directory or an NTFS directory junction before creating files within it. A local non-elevated user could replace the user-writable VM bundle directory with a directory junction pointing to an attacker-chosen location, causing the service to create a SYSTEM-owned file in an arbitrary directory. This could be leveraged for local privilege escalation. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.3834.0.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2026-44470?: The Claude Desktop app gives you Claude Code with a graphical interface built for running multiple sessions side by side. Prior to 1.3834.0, the CoworkVMService component in Claude Desktop for Windows ran as SYSTEM and did not validate whether the VM bundle directory was a real directory or an NTFS directory junction before creating files within it. A local non-elevated user could replace the user-writable VM bundle directory with a directory junction pointing to an attacker-chosen location, causing the service to create a SYSTEM-owned file in an arbitrary directory. This could be leveraged for local privilege escalation. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.3834.0.
How severe is CVE-2026-44470?: CVE-2026-44470 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2026-44470 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (5th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2026-44470?: CVE-2026-44470 affects Anthropic Claude Desktop. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2026-44470?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2026-44470 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2026-44470 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2026-30049.
When was CVE-2026-44470 published?: CVE-2026-44470 was published on 2026-05-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/security/advisories/GHSA-5p5x-5294-qhp3

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:anthropic:claude_desktop:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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