Description

Improper access control in Windows Cross Device Service allows an authorized attacker to elevate privileges locally.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-11T17:19:01.733Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-11T17:19:01.733Z",
  "executiveSummary": "An improper access control vulnerability has been identified within the Windows Cross Device Service, representing a significant local security risk.\nThe vulnerability type is improper access control, which directly enables a local privilege escalation scenario.\nThe affected product is the Windows Cross Device Service.\nThe primary impact of this security flaw is the unauthorized elevation of privileges on the host operating system, allowing a standard user to execute operations with higher privilege levels.\nThe risk implications are severe, as successful exploitation undermines the operating system's security boundary and isolation mechanisms.\nThe attacker capabilities required to exploit this vulnerability include local access to the target machine.\nRegarding exploitation requirements, the attacker must already be an authorized user on the local system to interact with the vulnerable service and trigger the privilege escalation vector.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides in the Windows Cross Device Service, specifically within its internal handling of client requests and object permissions.\nThe root cause stems from improper access control enforcement, where the service fails to adequately validate the authorization context or permission levels of calling entities before executing privileged routines or processing inter-process communication messages.\nThe vulnerable component is the Windows Cross Device Service binary or its associated communication interfaces, such as named pipes, local RPC endpoints, or COM interfaces exposed by the service.\nAuthentication requirements dictate that the attacker must possess valid local credentials to establish an execution context on the target operating system.\nPrivilege requirements specify that the attacker starts with standard, unprivileged user access, seeking to elevate these privileges to a higher level, such as SYSTEM or Administrator.\nNetwork exposure is strictly local, as the attack vector does not rely on remote network interfaces but rather on local inter-process communication channels.\nThe exploitation method involves the attacker interacting with the insufficiently protected interfaces of the Windows Cross Device Service.\nThe step-by-step attack flow begins with the low-privileged attacker initializing a local session and identifying the exposed communication channels of the Windows Cross Device Service.\nThe attacker then crafts specialized inputs, malicious payloads, or specifically formatted requests designed to exploit the lack of rigorous access control checks within the service logic.\nUpon receiving the request, the Windows Cross Device Service improperly trusts the input or fails to restrict the execution context, executing the requested operations with its own elevated privileges.\nPayload behavior during execution typically involves spawning unauthorized processes, modifying critical system resources, or granting the attacker persistent administrative control.\nThe post-exploitation impact includes complete compromise of the local operating system, allowing the adversary to bypass security controls, access sensitive data, install malicious software, and pivot within the local environment."
}