CVE Intelligence
Medium Access control

CVE-2023-44387 — Gradle has incorrect permission assignment for symlinked files used in copy or archiving operations

Gradle is a build tool with a focus on build automation and support for multi-language development. When copying or archiving symlinked files, Gradle resolves them but applies the permissions of the symlink itself instead of the permissions of the linked file to the resulting file. This leads to files having too much permissions given that symlinks usually are world readable and writeable. While it is unlikely this results in a direct vulnerability for the impacted build, it may open up attack vectors depending on where build artifacts end up being copied to or un-archived. In versions 7.6.3, 8.4 and above, Gradle will now properly use the permissions of the file pointed at by the symlink to set permissions of the copied or archived file.

Published Oct 5, 2023 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP · CNA: GitHub_M

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+2
  • Technical severity (medium)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.22%
ahead of 12% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Gradle
Gradle
CVSS base
6.5
Medium · 3 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Partial
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

  • Documented patch — github.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Gradle Gradle).
  2. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Gradle Gradle < 7.6.3≥ 8.0.0 and < 8.4.0 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
Gradle Gradle version >= 7.6.0, < 7.6.3version < 8.4.0 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
6.5 CVSS 3.1 Medium 2.0 4.0 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
3.2 CVSS 3.1 Low 1.5 1.4 security-advisories@github.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
3.2 CVSS 3.1 Low — — GitHub_M via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N (score shown at the top: nvd@nist.gov)
Scoring entities (NIST, CNA, ADP) score independently; each score is shown with its origin. For prioritization we use 6.5 (NVD (NIST)) as a conservative provisional reference — not a definitive official score.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-732 · Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.22%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
  • Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.
endpoint telemetry (EDR)authentication logsapplication logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · gradle/gradle
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • Fix documented
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 6.5
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Modified
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • 2023
  • CVE published
    Oct 5, 2023 · GitHub_M

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

5 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Gradle
every CVE for this vendor
Access control
same class
CWE-732
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-22816 Gradle fails to disable repositories which can expose builds to malicious artifacts Jan 16, 2026
  • CVE-2026-22865 Gradle's failure to disable repositories failing to answer can expose builds to malicious artifacts Jan 16, 2026
  • CVE-2023-35946 Dependency cache path traversal in Gradle Jun 30, 2023
  • CVE-2021-32751 Arbitrary code execution via specially crafted environment variables Jul 20, 2021
  • CVE-2021-29428 Local privilege escalation through system temporary directory Apr 13, 2021
  • CVE-2021-29429 Information disclosure through temporary directory permissions Apr 12, 2021

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2023-44387 is "Gradle has incorrect permission assignment for symlinked files used in copy or archiving operations", rated Medium. It affects Gradle (Gradle); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 6.5 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.22% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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