CVE-2023-53984
Raw vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/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:XCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2023-53984 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability. Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked at the 8th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-15 (Development Process, Standards, and Tools) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2023-53984 is an unquoted service path vulnerability affecting the HKClipSvc service in Clevo HotKey Clipboard version 2.1.0.6. This misconfiguration allows local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code with system privileges by exploiting the unquoted path in the service's executable reference. The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.4 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and is associated with CWE-428 (Unquoted Search Path or Element).
Local non-privileged users can exploit this vulnerability to achieve privilege escalation. By placing a malicious executable in specific file system locations that the Windows service manager searches due to the unquoted path, attackers can trick the HKClipSvc service into running their code with SYSTEM-level privileges upon service startup or restart.
Advisories from Vulncheck detail the privilege escalation via the unquoted service path, while an exploit proof-of-concept is publicly available on Exploit-DB. The archived Clevo vendor website provides context on the affected software component. Practitioners should consult these sources for specific mitigation guidance, such as service reconfiguration or software updates if available.
An exploit is documented on Exploit-DB, indicating practical exploitability in affected environments.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-2604
Vulnerability Data
Clevo HotKey Clipboard 2.1.0.6 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in the HKClipSvc service that allows local non-privileged users to potentially execute code with system privileges. Attackers can exploit the misconfigured service path to inject and execute arbitrary code by…
more
placing malicious executables in specific file system locations.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover unquoted search paths through static analysis or dynamic test cases.
Documented development standards and tools can mandate proper quoting and escaping of path elements.
Engineering principles can require safe construction and quoting of search paths and command elements.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices directly prevent path-handling flaws such as unquoted elements during development.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development can detect unquoted search-path issues before deployment.
Enforcing controlled software installation can prevent unquoted search-path elements in executables and scripts.
Secure development lifecycle practices include input validation and path handling that reduce unquoted search-path weaknesses.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles require safe path construction and quoting conventions.
Secure coding standards directly mandate quoting search paths and avoiding unsafe path construction.
Change-management processes can enforce review of path-handling changes that might introduce unquoted elements.