What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-23988?

CVE-2026-23988 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.3 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.0%.

Which versions of Rufus are affected by CVE-2026-23988?

Rufus versions 4.11 and below contain a critical race condition vulnerability that could allow attackers to execute unauthorized code during USB bootable drive creation.. A patch is available.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2026-23988?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2026-23988. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 0.0%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-23988?

Within 24 hours: Identify all systems running Rufus 4.11 or below and assess usage scope. Within 7 days: Deploy patched Rufus version 4.12 or later across all affected systems and disable legacy versions. Within 30 days: Audit historical bootable USB creation activities for anomalies and validate integrity of any previously created boot media.

Rufus CVE-2026-23988

HIGH

Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition (CWE-367)

2026-01-22 security-advisories@github.com

Race Condition Rufus

7.3

CVSS 3.1 · GitHub Advisory

Severity by source

GitHub Advisory PRIMARY

7.3 HIGH

AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from GitHub Advisory · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorGitHub Advisory

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Generated

Mar 12, 2026 - 21:54 vuln.today

PoC Detected

Feb 27, 2026 - 14:36 vuln.today

Public exploit code

Patch released

Feb 27, 2026 - 14:36 nvd

Patch available

CVE Published

Jan 22, 2026 - 22:16 nvd

HIGH 7.3

DescriptionGitHub Advisory

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.

AnalysisAI

Arbitrary code execution with Administrator privileges in Rufus versions 4.11 and below due to a race condition in PowerShell script handling within the %TEMP% directory. A local attacker can replace the legitimate Fido script with malicious code between file creation and execution, since Rufus runs elevated but writes to a world-writable location without file locking. Public exploit code exists for this vulnerability, which is fixed in version 4.12_BETA.

Technical ContextAI

Affects Rufus. 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 exe