Description

Uncontrolled search path element in Windows Remote Help Defense allows an authorized attacker to perform spoofing locally.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.1",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-20T22:17:21.933Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-20T22:17:21.933Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An uncontrolled search path element vulnerability exists within Windows Remote Help. This security flaw enables a locally authorized attacker to execute spoofing attacks against the affected system. The vulnerability impacts Windows Remote Help and introduces significant risk to host integrity and user trust by allowing unauthorized manipulation of execution paths.\nExploitation of this vulnerability requires local access to the target system and appropriate authorization to interact with the environment. Successful exploitation grants the attacker the capability to manipulate search paths, leading to local spoofing conditions. This undermines the expected execution integrity of the application, potentially facilitating further malicious activities depending on the local privileges and system configuration.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of the vulnerability stems from insecure library loading practices or an uncontrolled search path element within Windows Remote Help. Specifically, the application attempts to load dynamic link libraries or external binaries without specifying fully qualified paths, or it queries directories in an insecure search order that includes user-writable locations.\nThe attack flow begins when an authorized local attacker places a maliciously crafted payload, such as a spoofed DLL or executable, into a directory that is prioritized within the application's search path. When Windows Remote Help initializes or triggers functionality that invokes the vulnerable component, the operating system's search mechanism resolves the dependency to the attacker-controlled file instead of the legitimate system resource.\nBecause the execution context relies on the application's process privileges, the rogue component is executed within the operational scope of Windows Remote Help. This achieves local spoofing and potentially facilitates privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution depending on the execution context of the parent process. The vulnerability requires local access and authentication, and exploitation is constrained by the local file system permissions required to plant the payload in the vulnerable search path."
}