Local Privilege Escalation via Insecure DLL Permissions in Remote Utilities Host <=7.7.3.0
Summary
| CVE | CVE-2026-14208 |
|---|---|
| State | PUBLISHED |
| Assigner | NCSC.ch |
| Source Priority | CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback |
| Published | 2026-08-21 11:17:04 UTC |
| Updated | 2026-08-21 12:16:22 UTC |
| Description | Remote Utilities Host <=7.7.3.0 sets insecure ACLs on all DLL files in the installation directory (C:\Program Files (x86)\Remote Utilities - Host\), granting FULL CONTROL (F) to the built-in Everyone group (BUILTIN\Everyone, S-1-1-0). A Windows service running as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM loads DLLs from this directory. The DLLs are file-locked at runtime, but a race window exists when the service is stopped (e.g. during a software update or following a crash), during which a local unprivileged attacker can replace a DLL with a malicious payload. Upon service restart, the payload executes as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. The DLL confirmed as actively loaded during testing is libasset32.dll. Additional DLLs in the same directory (eventmsg.dll, libcodec32.dll, vp8encoder.dll, vp8decoder.dll, webmvorbisdecoder.dll, webmvorbisencoder.dll, webmmux.dll) share identical insecure permissions. |
Risk And Classification
Primary CVSS: v4.0 7.3 HIGH from [email protected]
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Problem Types: CWE-732 | CWE-732 CWE-732: Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
| Version | Source | Type | Score | Severity | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | [email protected] | Secondary | 7.3 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/C... |
| 4.0 | CNA | CVSS | 7.3 | HIGH | CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
CVSS v4.0 Breakdown
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
Vendor Declared Affected Products
| Source | Vendor | Product | Version | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNA | Remote Utilities Pte. Ltd. | Remote Utilities Host | affected 7.7.3.0 custom | Windows |
References
| Reference | Source | Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|
| www.remoteutilities.com/product/release-notes.php | [email protected] | www.remoteutilities.com | |
| CVE Program record | CVE.ORG | www.cve.org | canonical |
| NVD vulnerability detail | NVD | nvd.nist.gov | canonical, analysis |
Vendor Comments And Credit
Discovery Credit
CNA: Janik Wehrli of InfoGuard Labs (en)
Additional Advisory Data
| Source | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CNA | 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z | Vulnerability discovered. |
| CNA | 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z | Vendor (Remote Utilities Pte. Ltd.) notified. 90-day coordinated disclosure window communicated. |
| CNA | 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z | NCSC notified, CVE assignment requested. |
| CNA | 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z | Vendor acknowledged the report and confirmed the vulnerability. |
| CNA | 2026-06-11T00:00:00.000Z | Fix released by the vendor. |
Solutions
CNA: * Remove Everyone:(F) ACL from all DLL files under the installation directory. Restrict to: SYSTEM (Full Control), Administrators (Full Control), Users/Authenticated Users (Read & Execute). Enforce recursively in installer, update routine, and repair mechanism. * Implement cryptographic signature verification of all loaded DLLs at service startup. * Use atomic DLL replacement during updates (write to temp path, verify signature, rename).
Workarounds
CNA: Manually correct DLL ACLs using icacls: icacls "C:\Program Files (x86)\Remote Utilities - Host\*.dll" /remove "Everyone" /grant "BUILTIN\Users:(RX)" /grant "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(F)" /grant "BUILTIN\Administrators:(F)"