Description

Dell Display and Peripheral Manager (DDPM Windows), versions prior to 2.3.0.17, contain Improper Access Control vulnerability. A low privileged attacker with local access could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to Elevation of Privileges and arbitrary code execution.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-12T20:17:46.663Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-12T20:17:46.663Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An improper access control vulnerability has been identified in Dell Display and Peripheral Manager (DDPM Windows) affecting versions prior to 2.3.0.17. This security flaw arises from inadequate permission assignments within the application architecture, potentially allowing a malicious actor to manipulate system resources.\nAn attacker possessing low-privileged local access to a vulnerable Windows workstation can leverage this security deficiency to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The realization of this exploit leads directly to a severe Elevation of Privilege (EoP) condition, granting the adversary administrative or system-level control over the underlying operating system.\nThe risk implications are significant in enterprise environments where multi-tenant or shared workstations are deployed, as a standard user could escalate their privileges to compromise the entire host. Successful exploitation requires prior local access to the target machine, meaning remote attackers cannot exploit this vector directly without an existing initial foothold or execution mechanism on the host.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides in the local privilege boundary enforcement mechanisms implemented within Dell Display and Peripheral Manager (DDPM Windows) for versions prior to 2.3.0.17. Specifically, the root cause stems from improper access control configurations applied to underlying application components, inter-process communication channels, or file system objects managed by the software.\nIn a default installation, these resources fail to enforce strict discretionary access control lists (DACLs), allowing unprivileged local users to interact with, modify, or hijack execution flows intended solely for authorized administrators or trusted system services.\nThe step-by-step attack flow proceeds as follows: First, an attacker establishes a low-privileged execution context on the target Windows system through standard user interaction, compromised user credentials, or a preliminary code execution vector. Second, the attacker interacts with the vulnerable Dell Display and Peripheral Manager (DDPM Windows) component by sending crafted inputs, exploiting insecure file permissions, or intercepting privileged inter-process communications.\nBecause the affected component executes actions with higher privileges than the calling user context, the manipulated requests or hijacked execution paths force the application to execute arbitrary payloads in an elevated security context.\nThe technical prerequisites for exploitation mandate local access to the system, authentication as a low-privileged user, and the presence of vulnerable software versions prior to 2.3.0.17. Network exposure is not a direct vector since the vulnerability is locally bound.\nThe post-exploitation impact includes complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise of the host operating system, enabling the adversary to install backdoors, create persistent administrative accounts, access sensitive system memory, and pivot across the local network."
}