CVE-2026-35603

Claude Code: Insecure System-Wide Configuration Loading Enables Local Privilege Escalation on Windows

Published Apr 17, 2026 CVSS 4.0 · 5.4 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
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.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Github GHSA Github GHSA GHSA-5cwg-9f6j-9jvx Claude Code: Insecure System-Wide Configuration Loading Enables Local Privilege Escalation on Windows
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Anthropic
Anthropic claude Code
Microsoft
Microsoft windows
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:anthropic:claude_code:*:*:*:*:*:node.js:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Anthropic
Anthropic claude Code
Microsoft
Microsoft windows
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.3, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Anthropics
Anthropics claude Code
Vendors & Products Anthropics
Anthropics claude Code
Type Values Removed Values Added
Description 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.
Title Claude Code: Insecure System-Wide Configuration Loading Enables Local Privilege Escalation on Windows
Weaknesses CWE-426
References
Metrics cvssV4_0

{'score': 5.4, 'vector': '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'}

Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
GitHub_M
Published
Updated
Apr 20, 2026, 2:57 PM
Reserved
Apr 3, 2026, 9:25 PM
Status
Analyzed
Published
Apr 17, 2026, 9:16 PM
Modified
Oct 26, 2026, 10:10 PM