CWE-428: Unquoted Search Path or Element
The product uses a search path that contains an unquoted element, in which the element contains whitespace or other separators. This can cause the product to access resources in a parent path.
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Overview
If a malicious individual has access to the file system, it is possible to elevate privileges by inserting such a file as "C:\Program.exe" to be run by a privileged program making use of WinExec.
Real-world CVEs
324 recorded CVEs are caused by CWE-428 (Unquoted Search Path or Element). The highest-severity and most recent are shown first. 176 new CWE-428 CVEs have been recorded so far in 2026 (50 in 2025).