CVE-2019-25764: ASUS AURA SYNC Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2019-25764 Overview

CVE-2019-25764 affects the ASUS AURA SYNC driver, which shipped with ASUS RGB lighting control software. The driver exposes an Input/Output Control (IOCTL) interface with insufficient access control [CWE-782]. A local user can bypass the driver's verification logic and invoke arbitrary IOCTLs, resulting in privilege escalation. The affected driver is marked as unsupported by ASUS, and users are directed to the ASUS Security Advisory for end-of-life notice and driver update guidance. The vulnerability requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction.

Critical Impact
A local user with standard privileges can invoke privileged IOCTLs against the ASUS AURA SYNC driver and escalate to SYSTEM-level access on the affected Windows host.

Affected Products

ASUS AURA SYNC driver (legacy versions)
ASUS AURA-branded RGB control utilities that install the vulnerable driver
ASUS motherboards and peripherals bundled with the legacy AURA SYNC driver

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-17 - CVE-2019-25764 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-07-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2019-25764

Vulnerability Analysis

The ASUS AURA SYNC driver exposes an IOCTL interface used by user-mode utilities to configure RGB lighting hardware. The driver implements a verification routine that should restrict which callers are permitted to issue privileged IOCTLs. The verification logic is insufficient, allowing a local user to bypass the check and invoke arbitrary IOCTLs.

Because the driver runs in kernel mode, IOCTLs that access physical memory, model-specific registers, or arbitrary I/O ports can be abused for privilege escalation. An attacker with local access can leverage the exposed handlers to read or write kernel memory and elevate to SYSTEM. The weakness is categorized as [CWE-782] Exposed IOCTL with Insufficient Access Control. ASUS lists the driver as unsupported and directs administrators to the End-of-Life Notice and Driver Update section of the vendor advisory.

Root Cause

The driver registers a device object accessible to non-privileged callers and dispatches IOCTLs without enforcing adequate caller identity or capability checks. The verification routine can be bypassed, so operations intended only for the trusted user-mode component become reachable from any local process.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local, authenticated access to a Windows host with the vulnerable AURA SYNC driver installed. The attacker opens a handle to the driver's device object and issues crafted IOCTL codes that bypass the verification path. Successful exploitation yields kernel-level primitives, which can be chained to escalate to SYSTEM. The vulnerability cannot be exploited remotely and requires no user interaction beyond the attacker's own session.

No verified proof-of-concept code is available in the enriched data. Refer to the ASUS Security Advisory for technical details and driver replacement guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2019-25764

Indicators of Compromise

Presence of the legacy ASUS AURA SYNC driver binary or its registered device object on endpoints not requiring RGB lighting control.
Unexpected DeviceIoControl calls from non-ASUS processes targeting the AURA SYNC driver device handle.
New services or scheduled tasks running with SYSTEM privileges shortly after a standard user process loads or interacts with the driver.

Detection Strategies

Inventory endpoints for the vulnerable driver by scanning for the AURA SYNC kernel driver file and its associated service registration.
Alert on kernel driver load events for the legacy AURA SYNC driver on systems where ASUS RGB software is not authorized.
Correlate local privilege escalation patterns, such as a low-integrity process spawning a SYSTEM-integrity child, with recent IOCTL activity against third-party drivers.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Windows Defender Application Control or Microsoft's vulnerable driver blocklist to log or block loads of known-vulnerable drivers.
Collect Sysmon Event ID 6 (driver loaded) and forward to a central log store for retrospective hunting.
Monitor for token manipulation and process integrity changes following handle opens against third-party device objects.

How to Mitigate CVE-2019-25764

Immediate Actions Required

Uninstall the legacy ASUS AURA SYNC software and remove the associated kernel driver from all endpoints.
Enable the Microsoft recommended driver blocklist on Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server to prevent the vulnerable driver from loading.
Restrict local administrative access and enforce least privilege to limit the population of users who can install or interact with third-party drivers.

Patch Information

ASUS has marked the AURA SYNC driver as unsupported. Administrators must consult the End-of-Life Notice and Driver Update for Legacy ASUS Drivers section of the ASUS Security Advisory for the replacement driver or software package. No in-place patch is provided for the legacy driver; migration to the supported replacement is required.

Workarounds

Block the vulnerable driver by hash or filename using Windows Defender Application Control or AppLocker where uninstall is not immediately feasible.
Disable the driver's service and remove the registered device object on systems that do not require ASUS RGB lighting functionality.
Segment and monitor workstations that retain the driver until replacement or removal is complete.

bash

# Example: query and remove the AURA SYNC driver service on Windows
sc.exe query AsusCertService
sc.exe stop AsusCertService
sc.exe delete AsusCertService

# Verify Microsoft vulnerable driver blocklist is enabled (Windows 11)
Get-MpPreference | Select-Object -ExpandProperty AttackSurfaceReductionRules_Actions