What is GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM?

GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is a high-severity security vulnerability in PanelSW.Custom.WiX (nuget), affecting versions <= 3.15.0-a45. It is fixed in 3.15.0-a46.

How severe is GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM?

GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM has a CVSS score of 7.3 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of PanelSW.Custom.WiX are affected by GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM?

PanelSW.Custom.WiX (nuget) versions <= 3.15.0-a45 is affected.

Is there a fix for GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM?

Yes. GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is fixed in 3.15.0-a46. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM in PanelSW.Custom.WiX

Q: How severe is GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM?

GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM has a CVSS score of 7.3 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of PanelSW.Custom.WiX are affected by GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM?

PanelSW.Custom.WiX (nuget) versions <= 3.15.0-a45 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM?

Yes. GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is fixed in 3.15.0-a46. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM?

Upgrade PanelSW.Custom.WiX to 3.15.0-a46 or later.

Summary

WiX Burn-based bundles are vulnerable to binary hijack when run as SYSTEM

Burn uses an unprotected C:\Windows\Temp directory to copy binaries and run them from there. This directory is not entirely protected against low privilege users.

Details

When a bundle runs as SYSTEM user, Burn uses GetTempPathW which points to an insecure directory C:\Windows\Temp to drop and load multiple binaries. Standard users can hijack the binary before it's loaded in the application resulting in elevation of privileges.

icacls c:\windows\temp

BUILTIN\Users:(CI)(S,WD,AD,X)
BUILTIN\Administrators:(F)
BUILTIN\Administrators:(OI)(CI)(IO)(F)
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(F)
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(OI)(CI)(IO)(F)
CREATOR OWNER:(OI)(CI)(IO)(F)

Built in users(non-administrators) have special permissions to this folder and can create files and write to this directory. While they do not have explicit read permissions, there is a way they can monitor the changes to this directory using ReadDirectoryChangesW API and thus figure out randomized folder names created inside this directory as wel

PoC

PoC works against the against visual studio enterprise with update 3 installer

Reproduction steps

As a standard user, run the poc.
Mount the iso and run visual studio installer as local system account.
The PoC should hijack the the binaries dropped by vs installer and a child process "notepad.exe" will be running.

Impact

This is an Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability where a low privileged user can hijack binaries in an unprotected path C:\Windows\Temp to elevate to the SYSTEM user privileges.

GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM has a CVSS score of 7.3 (High). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and user interaction required. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (3.15.0-a46); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

PanelSW.Custom.WiX (<= 3.15.0-a45)

Security releases

PanelSW.Custom.WiX → 3.15.0-a46 (nuget)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade PanelSW.Custom.WiX to 3.15.0-a46 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM? GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is a high-severity security vulnerability in PanelSW.Custom.WiX (nuget), affecting versions <= 3.15.0-a45. It is fixed in 3.15.0-a46.
How severe is GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM? GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM has a CVSS score of 7.3 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of PanelSW.Custom.WiX are affected by GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM? PanelSW.Custom.WiX (nuget) versions <= 3.15.0-a45 is affected.
Is there a fix for GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM? Yes. GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is fixed in 3.15.0-a46. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix GHSA-WQ88-FQ4X-H2PM? Upgrade PanelSW.Custom.WiX to 3.15.0-a46 or later.