CVE-2026-35603: Claude Code: Insecure System-Wide Configuration Loading Enables Local Privilege Escalation on Windows
Advisory generated from the CVE record, CISA, Exploit Observer and VEDAS: what it is, whether it is exploited, who is affected, and how to fix and detect it.
Generated by VEDAS. Scores as of 2026-11-01 19:19 UTC. Rebuilt every few hours from cve-scores, CISA KEV and vedas-signatures. How this works and its limits.
What it is
Claude Code is an agentic coding tool. In versions prior to 2.1.75 on Windows, Claude Code loaded the system-wide default configuration from C:\ProgramData\ClaudeCode\managed-settings.json without validating directory ownership or access permissions. Because the ProgramData directory is writable by non-administrative users by default and the ClaudeCode subdirectory was not pre-created or access-restricted, a low-privileged local user could create this directory and place a malicious configuration file that would be automatically loaded for any user launching Claude Code on the same machine. Exploiting this would have required a shared multi-user Windows system and a victim user to launch Claude Code after the malicious configuration was placed. This issue has been fixed on version 2.1.75.
Description quoted from the CVE record (assigned by GitHub_M, published 2026-04-17).
Weakness: CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path
How it can be exploited
Exploitable with local access with low attack complexity only when specific conditions are present needing low privileges and a user must take an action. Impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability high. CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CISA assessment (SSVC): CISA has no evidence of exploitation. Automatable: no. Technical impact: total.
Public exploit evidence (Exploit Observer)
Also known as: EUVD-2026-23520, GHSA-5cwg-9f6j-9jvx
Exploit Observer has no public exploit code that names this CVE or one of its aliases.
Vulnerability databases and vendor advisories (5)
Catalogue entries, not exploit evidence.
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/enisa/EUVD-2026-23520
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-5cwg-9f6j-9jvx
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-35603
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-35603
- Vulnerability database or vendor advisory: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-5cwg-9f6j-9jvx
1 more reference returned by Exploit Observer did not name this CVE or an alias, so they are left out.
VEDAS data as of 2026-11-01T17:12 UTC; fetched 2026-11-02.
Live scores
- EPSS
- 0.001
low predicted chance of attack - VEDAS
- 0.054
little exploit evidence - On CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Detection rule
- Out of scope (local)
Who is affected
| Product | Affected | Not affected |
|---|---|---|
| anthropics claude-code | version < 2.1.75 | Not stated |
Version ranges exactly as the CVE record states them. “Before X” means X is the first fixed version.
Exploit Observer also maps it to: anthropic claude_code.
How to fix it
No fixed version or vendor advisory is listed in the CVE record yet. Watch the vendor’s security page.
How to detect it
This bug needs local access to exploit. VEDAS signatures cover remotely exploitable bugs for now, so there is no network rule or remote check for it. Patch it and watch your endpoint telemetry for unusual local activity.
Advisories on this CVE
- CVE-2026-35603: ProgramData configuration trust in Claude Code, Cursor, Codex CLI and Gemini CLI (Cymulate), 2026 (January 2026)
References
Other references
- https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/security/advisories/GHSA-5cwg-9f6j-9jvx (x_refsource_CONFIRM)
Other databases
Where this comes from
This advisory is generated automatically by VEDAS from: CVE.org record, cve-scores (EPSS and VEDAS), Exploit Observer. Text in quotes is reproduced from the source; everything else is a fixed template filled with source fields. Nothing here is written by a language model. Check the vendor advisory before acting, and read how VEDAS and Exploit Observer work, and their limits.