An issue was discovered in DisplayLink Core Software Cleaner Application 8.2.1956. When the drivers are updated to a newer version, the product launches a process as SYSTEM to uninstall the old version: cl_1956.exe is run as SYSTEM on the %systemroot%Temp folder, where any user can write a DLL (e.g., version.dll) to perform DLL Hijacking and elevate privileges to SYSTEM.
The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product’s direct control.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core_software_cleaner | Displaylink | 8.2.1956 (including) | 8.2.1956 (including) |
This might allow attackers to execute their own programs, access unauthorized data files, or modify configuration in unexpected ways. If the product uses a search path to locate critical resources such as programs, then an attacker could modify that search path to point to a malicious program, which the targeted product would then execute. The problem extends to any type of critical resource that the product trusts. Some of the most common variants of untrusted search path are: