CVE-2025-26396: Privilege Escalation in Dameware Mini Remote Control

This vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations using Dameware Mini Remote Control. An attacker who has already gained a foothold on a system, even with limited privileges, can leverage this flaw to escalate their access to SYSTEM level privileges. This grants them complete control over the compromised machine, enabling them to install malware, steal sensitive data, modify system configurations, and potentially move laterally within the network. The requirement for local access limits the immediate impact to systems directly accessible by an attacker, but the potential for privilege escalation significantly expands the blast radius of a successful compromise.

1. Reserved2025-02-08
2. Published2025-06-02
3. Modified2026-02-26
4. EPSS updated2026-03-23

The primary mitigation for CVE-2025-26396 is to upgrade Dameware Mini Remote Control to version 12.3.2 or later. If immediate upgrading is not feasible due to compatibility concerns or testing requirements, consider implementing stricter local account privilege controls and limiting the use of Dameware Mini Remote Control to only essential tasks. Review existing access controls and ensure that only authorized personnel have access to systems running Dameware Mini Remote Control. While a direct WAF rule is unlikely, monitoring for unusual process execution originating from the Dameware Mini Remote Control service can provide early detection.