CVE-2025-36611: Dell Encryption Improper Link Resolution Leads to Privilege Escalation
This blog post details a local privilege escalation vulnerability, identified as CVE-2025-36611, affecting Dell Encryption and Dell Security Management Server. Older versions are susceptible to improper link resolution, potentially allowing a malicious local user to gain elevated privileges on the system.
Vulnerability Details
- CVE ID: CVE-2025-36611
- Description: Dell Encryption and Dell Security Management Server versions prior to 11.11.0 contain an Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') vulnerability. A local malicious user could potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to privilege escalation.
- CVSS Score: 7.3 HIGH
- CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CVSS Explanation: This CVSS vector indicates a High severity vulnerability. It is exploitable locally (AV:L) with low complexity (AC:L). An attacker needs low privileges (PR:L) and user interaction (UI:R) to exploit it. Successful exploitation can lead to high confidentiality (C:H), integrity (I:H), and availability (A:H) impact. This means an attacker could potentially read sensitive data, modify system files, and cause a denial-of-service condition.
- Exploit Requirements: Local access to the system, low privileges, and user interaction are required for successful exploitation.
- Affected Vendor: Dell
- Affected Product: Dell Encryption, Dell Security Management Server
- Affected Versions: Versions prior to 11.11.0
- CWE: CWE-59 - Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
- CWE Explanation: CWE-59 refers to a vulnerability where a program does not properly validate or control the target of a symbolic link before accessing it. This can allow an attacker to redirect the program to access unintended files or directories, potentially leading to security breaches.
Timeline of Events
- 2025-07-30: CVE Published.
Exploitability & Real-World Risk
This vulnerability poses a real-world risk, especially in environments where users have some level of local access to systems running vulnerable versions of Dell Encryption. An attacker could potentially craft malicious symbolic links to overwrite critical system files or gain access to sensitive data, leading to a complete compromise of the affected system. While user interaction is required, social engineering tactics could be employed to trick users into triggering the vulnerability.
Recommendations
- Upgrade: Upgrade Dell Encryption and Dell Security Management Server to version 11.11.0 or later.
- Principle of Least Privilege: Enforce the principle of least privilege to limit the impact of potential exploits.
- User Awareness: Educate users about the risks of clicking on untrusted links or opening suspicious files, even locally.
Technical Insight
The vulnerability stems from improper handling of symbolic links within Dell Encryption. When the software attempts to access a file through a symbolic link, it fails to adequately verify that the link points to a legitimate and authorized location. An attacker can exploit this by creating a symbolic link that points to a sensitive system file, causing the software to inadvertently access or modify the file with elevated privileges.
Credit to Researcher(s)
The details regarding the researcher(s) responsible for discovering and reporting this vulnerability are not present in the provided data.
References
Tags
#Dell #Encryption #Security #PrivilegeEscalation #CVE-2025-36611 #LinkFollowing
Summary: A local privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2025-36611) exists in Dell Encryption and Dell Security Management Server versions prior to 11.11.0 due to improper link resolution. A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this with user interaction to gain elevated privileges. Upgrade to version 11.11.0 or later to mitigate this risk.
CVE ID: CVE-2025-36611
Risk Analysis: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to gain elevated privileges on the affected system. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, modification of system files, and potentially complete control over the system. This poses a significant risk to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system and the data it contains.
Recommendation: Upgrade Dell Encryption and Dell Security Management Server to version 11.11.0 or later to address this vulnerability. Implement the principle of least privilege and educate users about the risks of interacting with untrusted links or files.
Timeline
- 2025-07-30: CVE Published