CVE-2026-23988 Details
Description
Rufus is a utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives. Versions 4.11 and below contain a race condition (TOCTOU) in src/net.c during the creation, validation, and execution of the Fido PowerShell script. Since Rufus runs with elevated privileges (Administrator) but writes the script to the %TEMP% directory (writeable by standard users) without locking the file, a local attacker can replace the legitimate script with a malicious one between the file write operation and the execution step. This allows arbitrary code execution with Administrator privileges. This issue has been fixed in version 4.12_BETA.
A race condition vulnerability has been identified in Rufus, a utility for creating bootable USB drives. This vulnerability exists in all versions through 4.11, specifically in the handling of Fido PowerShell scripts. Rufus operates with elevated privileges and writes scripts to the temporary directory, which is accessible to standard users. The lack of file locking allows a local attacker to replace a legitimate script with a malicious one before it is executed, leading to arbitrary code execution with Administrator rights.
Users can upgrade to Rufus version 4.12 or later to address this vulnerability.
Metrics
CVSS 4.0 Severity and Vector Strings:
No CVSS 4.0 data is available for this CVE.
CVSS 3.x Severity and Vector Strings:
No data available for CVSS Version 2.0 on this CVE.
CISA-ADP
Assessed Jan 23, 2026References to Advisories, Solutions, and Tools
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Weakness Enumeration
| CWE-ID | CWE Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CWE-367 | Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition | [email protected] |
Affected Products
| Product | Versions |
|---|---|
| akeo rufus | < 4.12 |
CPE
Remediation
| |
Change History
4 change records found show changes
| Date | Action | Recorded By |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2026 | CVE Modified | [email protected] |
| Jun 17, 2026 | CVE Modified | CISA-ADP |
| Feb 27, 2026 | Initial Analysis | [email protected] |
| Jan 22, 2026 | New CVE Received | [email protected] |