Vulnerability Description
Rufus is a utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives. Versions 4.11 and below contain a race condition (TOCTOU) in src/net.c during the creation, validation, and execution of the Fido PowerShell script. Since Rufus runs with elevated privileges (Administrator) but writes the script to the %TEMP% directory (writeable by standard users) without locking the file, a local attacker can replace the legitimate script with a malicious one between the file write operation and the execution step. This allows arbitrary code execution with Administrator privileges. This issue has been fixed in version 4.12_BETA.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Akeo | Rufus | < 4.12 |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/commit/460cc5768aa45be07941b9e4ebc9bee02d282873Patch
- https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/releases/tag/v4.12_BETABroken Link
- https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/security/advisories/GHSA-hcx5-hrhj-xhq9ExploitVendor Advisory
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-23988?
CVE-2026-23988 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.3 (HIGH). Rufus is a utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives. Versions 4.11 and below contain a race condition (TOCTOU) in src/net.c during the creation, validation, and execution of the ...
How severe is CVE-2026-23988?
CVE-2026-23988 has been rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.3/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-23988?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Akeo Rufus.