CVE-2026-35603
published 2026-04-17CVE-2026-35603: 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…
PriorityP339high7.3CVSS 3.1
AVLACLPRLUIRSUCHIHAH
EPSS
0.11%
1.4th percentile
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.
Affected
3 ranges
| Vendor | Product | Version range | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| anthropic-ai | claude-code | >= 0 < 2.1.75 | 2.1.75 |
| anthropic | claude_code | < 2.1.75 | 2.1.75 |
| anthropics | claude-code | < 2.1.75 | 2.1.75 |
CVSS provenance
nvdv3.17.3HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvdv4.05.4MEDIUMCVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
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GHSA
Claude Code: Insecure System-Wide Configuration Loading Enables Local Privilege Escalation on Windows
ghsa·2026-04-17
CVE-2026-35603 [MEDIUM] CWE-426 Claude Code: Insecure System-Wide Configuration Loading Enables Local Privilege Escalation on Windows
Claude Code: Insecure System-Wide Configuration Loading Enables Local Privilege Escalation on Windows
On Windows, Claude Code loaded 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.
Users
VulDB
Anthropic claude-code up to 2.1.74 on Windows Configuration managed-settings.json untrusted search path (GHSA-5cwg-9f6j-9jvx)
vuldb·2026-04-17·CVSS 5.4
CVE-2026-35603 [MEDIUM] Anthropic claude-code up to 2.1.74 on Windows Configuration managed-settings.json untrusted search path (GHSA-5cwg-9f6j-9jvx)
A vulnerability described as problematic has been identified in Anthropic claude-code up to 2.1.74 on Windows. Impacted is an unknown function of the file C:\ProgramData\ClaudeCode\managed-settings.json of the component Configuration Handler. Executing a manipulation can lead to untrusted search path.
This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-35603. The attack is restricted to local execution. No exploit exists.
Upgrading the affected component is recommended.
No detection rules found.
No public exploits indexed.
No writeups or analysis indexed.
2026-04-17
Published