CVE-2023-54331
Getoutline Outline
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:XSummary
CVE-2023-54331 is a high-severity Unquoted Search Path or Element (CWE-428) vulnerability in Getoutline Outline. Its CVSS base score is 8.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Path Interception (T1034); ranked at the 10th 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-2023-54331 is an unquoted service path vulnerability affecting Outline version 1.6.0. The issue resides in the OutlineService executable, where the service path is not properly quoted, enabling local privilege escalation. This flaw, classified under CWE-428, has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high impact potential upon successful exploitation.
Local attackers with low-privilege (PR:L) access on a vulnerable system can exploit the unquoted path by placing a malicious executable in a directory that precedes the legitimate OutlineService binary in the system's search path. When the OutlineService is started or restarted, the system executes the attacker's malicious code instead, granting LocalSystem-level privileges. This allows full control over the system, including arbitrary code execution with elevated permissions.
Advisories and references provide further details on the vulnerability. The Vulncheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/outline-unquoted-service-path outlines the issue, while an exploit is publicly available at https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/51128. The official Outline site at https://getoutline.org/ serves as a resource for the affected software. No specific patch details are detailed in the provided information.
A proof-of-concept exploit exists on Exploit-DB, demonstrating practical exploitability, though no evidence of widespread real-world exploitation is noted in the available data.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2026-2597
Vulnerability Data
Outline 1.6.0 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability that allows local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code with elevated system privileges. Attackers can exploit the unquoted service path in the OutlineService executable to inject malicious code that will be executed…
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with LocalSystem permissions.
- 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.