CVE-2020-23438
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Wondershare Filmora 9.2.11 allows attackers to perform DLL hijacking attacks, potentially leading to privilege escalation. Attackers can place malicious DLLs in locations where the application searches for them, causing the application to load and execute arbitrary code. Users running the vulnerable version of Filmora on Windows systems are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Wondershare Filmora
📦 What is this software?
Filmora by Wondershare
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with administrative privileges, allowing attackers to install malware, steal data, or create persistent backdoors.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing attackers to gain higher privileges than their current user account, potentially accessing sensitive files or system resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper application whitelisting, DLL signing verification, or least privilege principles are enforced.
🎯 Exploit Status
DLL hijacking is a well-known attack technique with readily available tools and methods. The specific exploit details are publicly documented.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Later versions of Filmora (9.3+ or Filmora X)
Vendor Advisory: https://www.wondershare.com/filmora/
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Wondershare Filmora. 2. Go to Help > Check for Updates. 3. Follow prompts to update to latest version. 4. Restart computer after installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict DLL search paths
windowsUse Windows policies or application controls to restrict where Filmora can load DLLs from
Use Windows AppLocker or Software Restriction Policies to block DLL execution from untrusted locations
Run with least privilege
windowsRun Filmora with standard user privileges instead of administrator rights
Right-click Filmora shortcut > Properties > Compatibility > Run this program as an administrator (UNCHECK)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Uninstall Filmora 9.2.11 and use alternative software
- Implement strict file system permissions to prevent unauthorized DLL placement in Filmora directories
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Filmora version in Help > About Filmora. If version is 9.2.11, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
In Filmora: Help > About FilmoraVerify Fix Applied:
After updating, verify version is 9.3 or higher in Help > About Filmora.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing DLL loading from unusual locations
- Process Monitor logs showing Filmora loading DLLs from user-writable directories
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators for this local attack
SIEM Query:
EventID=7 OR EventID=11 from Sysmon where Image contains 'filmora' AND TargetFilename contains '.dll' AND TargetFilename not in (system32, program files)