BlackTreeCVE Intelligence
← Back to the CVE catalogue
Full vulnerability report · 2023
CVE-2023-46814High confidence

A binary hijacking vulnerability exists within the VideoLAN VLC media player before 3.0.19 on Windows

Unknown · Unknown

7.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:Medium, lowered one band.downgradedsince 29 Aug 2024

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • Exploitation requires an existing local or physical foothold with privileges.
  • EPSS is 0.28% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Unknown and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: As exposure requiresRemediation target: Within 365 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Debian findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

4 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Debian trixietrixie · sourcevlcNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcevlcNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcevlcNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcevlcNot affectedDebian marks this release not affected (fixed-version marker 0).Not published in this feedDebian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
4HZM000603 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 2 · finalABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT)CVE-2023-46814
1 known affected

The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.

  • ABB Ability Camera Connect <=1.5.0.14
Summary
A binary hijacking vulnerability exists within the VideoLAN VLC media player before 3.0.19 on Windows. The uninstaller attempts to execute code with elevated privileges out of a standard user writable location. Standard users may use this to gain arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM.
Remediation
The problem is corrected in the following product versions: ABB Ability Camera Connect 1.5.0.15 The 3rd party component has already been updated. The easiest path to mitigate the problem is an update of just VLC Media Player by the customer. ABB recommends that customers apply the update at earliest convenience. It is also possible to update to the latest Version of Camera Connect.
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2023-50980

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

A binary hijacking vulnerability exists within the VideoLAN VLC media player before 3.0.19 on Windows. The uninstaller attempts to execute code with elevated privileges out of a standard user writable location. Standard users may use this to gain arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM.

What

A binary hijacking vulnerability exists within the VideoLAN VLC media player before 3.0.19 on Windows. The uninstaller attempts to execute code with elevated privileges out of a standard user writable location. Standard users may use this to gain arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM.

Why

The product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

What

A binary hijacking vulnerability exists within the VideoLAN VLC media player before 3.0.19 on Windows. The uninstaller attempts to execute code with elevated privileges out of a standard user writable location. Standard users may use this to gain arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM.

Why

The product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
local access → Uncontrolled Search Path Element → execute code or commands in the affected security context
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-427 ↗

CWE-427: Uncontrolled Search Path Element. The product uses a fixed or controlled search path to find resources, but one or more locations in that path can be under the control of unintended actors.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
Remote code executionPrivilege escalationCWE-427
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-2023-2949VLC: Mehrere Schwachstellen

Ein entfernter, anonymer oder authentisierter Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in VLC ausnutzen, um beliebigen Programmcode auszuführen oder einen Denial of Service Zustand hervorzurufen.

Official advisory ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20231129Security Bulletin 29 Nov 2023

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 29 Nov 2023, published on 29 November 2023. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2023-017755VideoLAN の VLC media player における制御されていない検索パスの要素に関する脆弱性

VideoLAN の VLC media player には、制御されていない検索パスの要素に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
ABB Ability Camera Connect <=1.5.0.14
Fixed
ABB Ability Camera Connect 1.5.0.15
Action
The problem is corrected in the following product versions: ABB Ability Camera Connect 1.5.0.15 The 3rd party component has already been updated. The easiest path to mitigate the problem is an update of just VLC Media Player by the customer. ABB recommends that customers apply the update at earliest convenience. It is also possible to update to the latest Version of Camera Connect.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 22 Nov 2023 · Last source change 29 Aug 2024, 19:59 UTC · CWE-427 · Uncontrolled Search Path Element

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2023-50980
Product sourceVendor CSAF · ABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT)
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · ABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT)
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    n/a · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
    After
    n/a · Fixed: The problem is corrected in the following product versions: ABB Ability Camera Connect 1.5.0.15 The 3rd party component has already been updated. The easiest path to mitigate the problem is an update of just VLC Media Player by the customer. ABB recommends that customers apply the update at earliest convenience. It is also possible to update to the latest Version of Camera Connect.
    ABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) ↗
  2. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Patch available
    ABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) ↗
  3. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added remediation: search.abb.com/Download.aspx?DocumentID=4HZM000603&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch; removed remediation: nvd.nist.gov/CVE-2023-46814.
    Before
    remediation: nvd.nist.gov/CVE-2023-46814
    After
    remediation: search.abb.com/Download.aspx?DocumentID=4HZM000603&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch
    ABB Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2023-46814 · cve.blacktree.nl