CVE-2023-1453: A vulnerability was found in Watchdog Anti-Virus 1.4.214.0

Routine

MEDIUM 4.4DOWNGRADE

CVE-2023-1453 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.4) affecting anti-virus. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

A vulnerability was found in Watchdog Anti-Virus 1.4.214.0. It has been rated as critical. Affected by this issue is the function 0x80002008 in the library wsdk-driver.sys of the component IoControlCode Handler. The manipulation leads to improper access controls. Attacking locally is a requirement. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. VDB-223298 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	4.4 (Medium)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.3% (top 74%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-284
Published	2023-03-17
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): VulDB · Vendor: watchdog

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2023-03-17 07:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 05:27 UTCUpdated Record last modified

watchdog anti-virus DOWNGRADE

Affected: 1.4.214.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 1.4.214.0

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy anti-virus || rpm -q anti-virus || anti-virus --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 1.4.214.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison anti-virus sudo apt install anti-virus=<VERSION_BEFORE_1.4.214.0> sudo apt-mark hold anti-virus

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list anti-virus sudo dnf downgrade anti-virus-<VERSION_BEFORE_1.4.214.0> sudo dnf versionlock add anti-virus

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2023-1453?

anti-virus: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2023-1453 being exploited?

CVE-2023-1453 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2023-1453 affect?

CVE-2023-1453 affects anti-virus. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.4). A vulnerability was found in Watchdog Anti-Virus 1.4.214.0. It has been rated as critical. Affected by this issue is the function 0x80002008 in the library wsdk-driver.sys of the component IoControlCode Handler. The manipulation leads to im

How urgent is CVE-2023-1453?

Priority 27/100. Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2023-1587 MEDIUM 5.8 UPGRADE UPGRADE Avast and AVG Antivirus for Windows were susceptible to a NULL pointer dereference issue via RPC-interface
CVE-2023-1586 MEDIUM 6.5 UPGRADE UPGRADE Avast and AVG Antivirus for Windows were susceptible to a Time-of-check/Time-of-use (TOCTOU) vulnerability in
CVE-2023-1585 MEDIUM 6.5 UPGRADE UPGRADE Avast and AVG Antivirus for Windows were susceptible to a Time-of-check/Time-of-use (TOCTOU) vulnerability in
CVE-2023-1446 MEDIUM 5.5 DOWNGRADE A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in Watchdog Anti-Virus 1.4.214.0
CVE-2022-42045 MEDIUM 6.7 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE Certain Zemana products are vulnerable to Arbitrary code injection

References

← Back to latest CVEs