CVE-2026-44470: CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') in anthropics claude-code
The Claude Desktop app gives you Claude Code with a graphical interface built for running multiple sessions side by side. Prior to 1.3834.0, the CoworkVMService component in Claude Desktop for Windows ran as SYSTEM and did not validate whether the VM bundle directory was a real directory or an NTFS directory junction before creating files within it. A local non-elevated user could replace the user-writable VM bundle directory with a directory junction pointing to an attacker-chosen location, causing the service to create a SYSTEM-owned file in an arbitrary directory. This could be leveraged for local privilege escalation. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.3834.0.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability arises from improper link resolution before file access (CWE-59) in the CoworkVMService component of Claude Desktop for Windows. The service runs as SYSTEM and does not verify if the VM bundle directory is a real directory or an NTFS directory junction before file creation. This allows a local non-privileged user to substitute the VM bundle directory with a directory junction to an attacker-chosen path, leading to creation of SYSTEM-owned files in arbitrary locations. This can be leveraged for local privilege escalation. The issue affects versions prior to 1.3834.0 and is addressed in that version.
Potential Impact
A local non-elevated user can escalate privileges to SYSTEM by exploiting the improper handling of NTFS directory junctions in the CoworkVMService. This allows creation of SYSTEM-owned files in arbitrary directories, potentially enabling further attacks or persistence mechanisms with elevated privileges. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
This vulnerability is fixed in Claude Desktop version 1.3834.0. Users should upgrade to version 1.3834.0 or later to remediate this issue. Since the vendor advisory does not provide additional remediation details or temporary mitigations, applying the official update is the recommended action. Patch status is confirmed fixed in 1.3834.0.
CVE-2026-44470: CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') in anthropics claude-code
Description
The Claude Desktop app gives you Claude Code with a graphical interface built for running multiple sessions side by side. Prior to 1.3834.0, the CoworkVMService component in Claude Desktop for Windows ran as SYSTEM and did not validate whether the VM bundle directory was a real directory or an NTFS directory junction before creating files within it. A local non-elevated user could replace the user-writable VM bundle directory with a directory junction pointing to an attacker-chosen location, causing the service to create a SYSTEM-owned file in an arbitrary directory. This could be leveraged for local privilege escalation. This vulnerability is fixed in 1.3834.0.
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability arises from improper link resolution before file access (CWE-59) in the CoworkVMService component of Claude Desktop for Windows. The service runs as SYSTEM and does not verify if the VM bundle directory is a real directory or an NTFS directory junction before file creation. This allows a local non-privileged user to substitute the VM bundle directory with a directory junction to an attacker-chosen path, leading to creation of SYSTEM-owned files in arbitrary locations. This can be leveraged for local privilege escalation. The issue affects versions prior to 1.3834.0 and is addressed in that version.
Potential Impact
A local non-elevated user can escalate privileges to SYSTEM by exploiting the improper handling of NTFS directory junctions in the CoworkVMService. This allows creation of SYSTEM-owned files in arbitrary directories, potentially enabling further attacks or persistence mechanisms with elevated privileges. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
This vulnerability is fixed in Claude Desktop version 1.3834.0. Users should upgrade to version 1.3834.0 or later to remediate this issue. Since the vendor advisory does not provide additional remediation details or temporary mitigations, applying the official update is the recommended action. Patch status is confirmed fixed in 1.3834.0.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- GitHub_M
- Date Reserved
- 2026-05-06T17:18:51.782Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a04a508cbff5d8610e80453
Added to database: 5/13/2026, 4:21:28 PM
Last enriched: 5/13/2026, 4:36:26 PM
Last updated: 5/14/2026, 6:52:44 AM
Views: 4
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