Local privilege escalation via link following
Published Oct 10, 2023 · Updated Apr 14, 2025
Improper link resolution in Microsoft Azure Network Watcher Agent VM Extension before 1.4.2798.3 allows local users to elevate privileges. The privileged agent resolves an attacker-controlled filesystem link before file access, but Microsoft has not disclosed the affected operation or path. Exploitation requires low-privilege local access to an Azure VM running the extension and grants privileges held by the agent.
Summary
What happened
Improper link resolution in Microsoft Azure Network Watcher Agent VM Extension before 1.4.2798.3 allows local users to elevate privileges. The privileged agent resolves an attacker-controlled filesystem link before file access, but Microsoft has not disclosed the affected operation or path. Exploitation requires low-privilege local access to an Azure VM running the extension and grants privileges held by the agent.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2023-36737
- Published
- Oct 10, 2023
- Updated
- Apr 14, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Azure Network Watcher Agent VM Extension
- Classifications
- CWE-59, T1548
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 10, 2023CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 14, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1.0.0.0 <1.4.2798.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo