Vulnerability 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.
CVSS Score
HIGH
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Claude Code | < 2.1.75 |
| Microsoft | Windows | - |
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-35603?
CVE-2026-35603 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.3 (HIGH). 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 val...
How severe is CVE-2026-35603?
CVE-2026-35603 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-2026-35603?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Anthropic Claude Code, Microsoft Windows.