Anthropic Claude for Windows DLL Search Order Hijacking Vulnerability Allowing Local Privilege Escalation

A vulnerability in the Anthropic Claude for Windows installer, specifically in versions prior to 1.1.3363, allows for local privilege escalation through DLL search-order hijacking. The installer improperly manages search path elements, leading to a scenario where it loads DLLs, such as profapi.dll, from its own directory after User Account Control (UAC) elevation. This behavior enables arbitrary code execution if a malicious DLL is placed alongside the installer.

Impact

Exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution on the affected system.