All news with #privilege escalation tag

🛡️ A new proof-of-concept called RedSun demonstrates that Microsoft Defender can be manipulated to overwrite protected system files and escalate privileges to SYSTEM on Windows 10 and 11 systems with cloud files features enabled. The exploit leverages Defender’s special handling of cloud-tagged files, which can trigger a rewrite to disk during remediation, allowing attackers to influence timing and destination. Researchers reproduce the issue using the Cloud Files API, oplocks, Volume Shadow Copy race conditions, and directory junctions; detection is limited and Microsoft has not yet commented.

⚠️After installing the April 2026 Windows security update (KB5082063), some non‑Global Catalog domain controllers configured with Privileged Access Management (PAM) may experience Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) crashes during startup. Affected servers can enter repeated reboot loops, disrupting authentication and directory services and potentially rendering domains unavailable. Microsoft is investigating and advises administrators to contact Microsoft Support for Business for mitigation options until a permanent fix is released.

🔓 Threat actors are actively using proof-of-concept exploit code for three recently disclosed Windows vulnerabilities to elevate privileges or disrupt Microsoft Defender. Researcher "Chaotic Eclipse" (aka "Nightmare-Eclipse") published PoCs for BlueHammer, RedSun, and UnDefend in protest over Microsoft’s handling of disclosure. Huntress Labs has observed exploitation in the wild, with BlueHammer seen since April 10, and Microsoft has patched only BlueHammer (CVE-2026-33825) so far while RedSun and UnDefend remain unaddressed.

⚠️ A proof-of-concept for a second Microsoft Defender zero-day, dubbed RedSun, was published by researcher 'Chaotic Eclipse', demonstrating a local privilege escalation that grants SYSTEM privileges on patched Windows 10, Windows 11, and supported Windows Server releases when Defender is enabled. The PoC exploits Defender's handling of cloud-tagged files via the Cloud Files API to overwrite system binaries and achieve code execution as SYSTEM. Security analyst Will Dormann of Tharros confirmed the exploit works; some antivirus products detect elements of the PoC due to an embedded EICAR test file. The researcher says the publication was a protest over interactions with the Microsoft Security Response Center.

⚠️ CISA warned federal agencies that a Windows Task Host privilege escalation flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-60710, is being treated as actively exploited and must be patched. The issue affects Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025 and arises from a link-following weakness in the Task Host that lets a local user with basic permissions elevate to SYSTEM. Agencies were given two weeks under BOD 22-01 to remediate; CISA urges all organizations to apply the patch or vendor mitigations immediately.

🔒 Microsoft released its April 2026 Patch Tuesday updates addressing 167 security flaws across Windows and related products, including a SharePoint Server zero-day (CVE-2026-32201) and a publicly disclosed Windows Defender privilege escalation dubbed BlueHammer. Google Chrome and Adobe issued emergency fixes for actively exploited zero-days. Administrators should prioritize patches for SharePoint, SQL Server, and Defender and restart browsers to ensure Chromium-based updates are applied.

⚠️ Microsoft’s April 2026 Patch Tuesday addresses 164 CVEs, including two zero-days and eight Critical vulnerabilities. The release focuses heavily on elevation-of-privilege flaws (57% of patches) and updates for Windows, Office and developer tools. Notable fixes include an exploited SharePoint spoofing zero-day (CVE-2026-32201), a disclosed Defender elevation-of-privilege issue (CVE-2026-33825), and several high‑risk RCEs; deploy patches promptly and apply recommended mitigations.

🔒 Researchers warn that seven vulnerabilities in IBM WebSphere Liberty can be chained from a pre-authentication SAML Web SSO flaw into full server compromise. The initial defect, tracked as CVE-2026-1561, allows unauthenticated attackers to supply crafted serialized payloads because a String.concat() misuse makes the integrity check ineffective, enabling pre-auth RCE against exposed SAML endpoints. Subsequent AdminCenter weaknesses let low-privileged 'reader' users retrieve keys and sensitive configuration, forge tokens, and abuse an archive-extraction flaw to write arbitrary files; IBM has issued patches and configuration guidance to mitigate the chain.

⚠ A high-severity flaw (CVE-2026-34040, CVSS 8.8) in Docker Engine can allow an attacker with API access to bypass AuthZ plugins by causing the daemon to forward requests without their body. The bug is tied to an incomplete fix for CVE-2024-41110 and arises when oversized, padded HTTP requests are dropped before reaching the authorization plugin. An attacker who pads a container-creation request above the threshold can cause the daemon to create a privileged container that mounts the host filesystem. Docker Engine 29.3.1 contains the patch; mitigations include avoiding body-dependent AuthZ plugins, restricting API access to trusted users, or running Docker in rootless mode.

🔒 Researchers at the University of Toronto demonstrated GPUBreach, a GPU-targeted Rowhammer technique that flips bits in GDDR6 to corrupt GPU page tables and subvert device memory controls. An unprivileged CUDA kernel can obtain arbitrary read/write access to GPU memory and then exploit NVIDIA driver flaws to escalate to CPU privileges and spawn a root shell. The work, due at IEEE S&P 2026, includes technical materials and shows impacts from key leakage to ML model manipulation.

⚠️ New research describes GPUBreach, a set of GDDR6 RowHammer techniques that corrupt GPU page tables to gain arbitrary GPU memory read/write and, in GPUBreach's case, full host control. The work shows chained GDDR6 bit-flips can corrupt trusted driver state and trigger kernel memory-safety bugs in NVIDIA drivers even with the IOMMU enabled. Related efforts (GDDRHammer, GeForge) also achieve GPU-side arbitrary read/write, though some require IOMMU to be disabled. Enabling ECC reduces risk but is not a guaranteed mitigation for all platforms.

⚠️ A new attack called GPUBreach demonstrates that Rowhammer-induced bit flips in GDDR6 memory can corrupt GPU page tables and allow an unprivileged CUDA kernel to gain arbitrary GPU memory read/write access. The University of Toronto team showed this capability can be chained into CPU-side privilege escalation by exploiting memory-safety bugs in the NVIDIA driver, potentially yielding a full system compromise up to a root shell. Critically, the attack works with IOMMU enabled and remains unmitigated on consumer GPUs without ECC. Full technical details and a reproduction package will be published on April 13.

🚨 A security researcher published exploit code for an unpatched Windows privilege escalation vulnerability dubbed BlueHammer, citing dissatisfaction with how Microsoft's Security Response Center handled the report. The public proof-of-concept reportedly combines a TOCTOU and path confusion to access the SAM database and escalate to SYSTEM or elevated administrator privileges. The PoC contains bugs and is not reliably successful across all Windows editions, and Microsoft had not issued a patch at publication, leaving the flaw classified as a zero-day.

🔒 Cisco Talos and Trend Micro say Qilin and Warlock ransomware groups have adopted a bring-your-own vulnerable driver (BYOVD) approach to disable endpoint security on compromised hosts. Talos identified a malicious DLL named msimg32.dll that side-loads a PE loader which decrypts and executes an in-memory EDR killer. The payload leverages renamed drivers such as rwdrv.sys (a repackaged ThrottleStop.sys) and hlpdrv.sys to access physical memory and terminate over 300 EDR drivers. Warlock has similarly used NSecKrnl.sys and a suite of legitimate tools to persist, move laterally, and exfiltrate data.

⚠️ Attackers increasingly bypass classic defenses by abusing trusted, built-in tools such as PowerShell, WMIC, and Certutil to move laterally, escalate privileges, and maintain persistence without dropping new malware. These Living Off The Land (LOTL) techniques mimic routine admin tasks and produce minimal alerts, creating stealthy blind spots for detection-focused teams. A data-driven Internal Attack Surface Assessment reveals unnecessary access, maps realistic attack paths, and prioritizes low-impact remediations so organizations can harden systems without disrupting workflows.

⚠️ The GIGABYTE Control Center contains a critical arbitrary file-write vulnerability (CVE-2026-4415) affecting versions 25.07.21.01 and earlier when the pairing feature is enabled. Taiwan's CERT warns unauthenticated remote attackers could write files anywhere on the underlying OS, enabling arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, or denial-of-service. GIGABYTE released version 25.12.10.01 with fixes for download path management, message processing, and command encryption and strongly advises immediate upgrade; users should obtain installers only from the vendor portal to avoid trojanized packages.

🔒 Unit 42 researchers discovered that AI agents deployed with Google Cloud’s Vertex AI ADK can inherit overly broad default permissions, enabling a deployed agent to leak service‑agent credentials and act as a “double agent.” By exploiting the Per‑Project, Per‑Product Service Agent (P4SA), the team pivoted into consumer projects and downloaded restricted Artifact Registry images from Google‑managed producer projects. Google collaborated with Unit 42, updated documentation, and recommended Bring Your Own Service Account (BYOSA) as a mitigation. Palo Alto Networks highlights protection via Prisma AIRS, Cortex Cloud Identity Security, and Cortex AI‑SPM.

⚠️ OpenCode Systems' OC Messaging and USSD Gateway version 6.32.2 contain an improper access control vulnerability (CVE-2025-70614, CVSS 3.1 Base Score 8.1) that can allow an authenticated low-privileged user to access SMS messages outside their tenant by providing a crafted company/tenant identifier. OpenCode released version 6.33.11 on 2026-01-06 to remediate the issue. Administrators should upgrade affected systems to 6.33.11 or later and limit network exposure of messaging gateways.

🔒 Cisco's Catalyst 9300 switches contain four vulnerabilities — two of which can be chained to escalate privileges and induce a denial-of-service by forcing the device into maintenance mode. Opswat's Unit 515 CIP Lab reported CVE-2026-20114 (command injection) and CVE-2026-20110 (insufficient sanitization), which together allow a low-privileged Lobby Ambassador account to gain higher privileges. Cisco released fixes in its March 25, 2026 IOS and IOS XE advisory; administrators should run the Software Checker, enable MFA for Lobby Ambassador accounts, and, where possible, set the privilege level for the 'start maintenance' command from the CLI.

🔒 Schneider Electric and ProLeiT disclosed several Redis-related vulnerabilities in Plant iT/Brewmaxx that could permit privilege escalation and, in some cases, remote code execution. The issues stem from embedded Redis 8.2.1 (and earlier) instances and include use-after-free, integer overflow, and code-injection vectors. Schneider and ProLeiT recommend installing patch ProLeiT-2025-001, disabling Redis eval commands, applying secure Redis configuration templates, and restarting patched systems while following recommended ICS cybersecurity practices.