SYSTEM privilege escalation via current-directory DLL loading
Published May 11, 2025 · Updated May 12, 2025
Untrusted DLL search path in Hainan YouQu Technology ToDesk 4.7.6.3 allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges. ToDesk loads profapi.dll from its current directory into a privileged process without restricting the search to a trusted system location. A low-privileged local user who can replace or plant that DLL can execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges when the privileged process loads it.
Summary
What happened
Untrusted DLL search path in Hainan YouQu Technology ToDesk 4.7.6.3 allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges. ToDesk loads profapi.dll from its current directory into a privileged process without restricting the search to a trusted system location. A low-privileged local user who can replace or plant that DLL can execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges when the privileged process loads it.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-4539
- Published
- May 11, 2025
- Updated
- May 12, 2025
- Vendor
- Hainan YouQu Technology Co., Ltd.
- Product
- ToDesk
- Classifications
- CWE-426, CWE-427, T1574.002
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 11, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 12, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=4.7.6.3
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- ToDesk profapi.dll DLL hijacking proof of conceptproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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