CVE-2022-4989: ASUS AI Suite 3 Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2022-4989 Overview

CVE-2022-4989 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the ASUS AI Suite 3 driver. The flaw stems from improper validation of specified quantity in input [CWE-1284] when the driver processes IOCTL (Input/Output Control) requests. A local user can craft malicious IOCTL requests to access unintended kernel memory regions. Successful exploitation grants elevated privileges on the affected Windows system. ASUS marked this product as unsupported when the CVE was assigned, meaning no vendor patch is planned through normal support channels. The vulnerability affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the host operating system.

Critical Impact
A local, authenticated user can escalate to SYSTEM-level privileges by exploiting insufficient buffer size validation in the ASUS AI Suite 3 kernel driver, and the product is marked unsupported.

Affected Products

ASUS AI Suite 3 (kernel driver component)
Marked ** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED ** by ASUS
Windows systems with the vulnerable driver installed

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-03 - CVE-2022-4989 published to NVD
2026-07-06 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-4989

Vulnerability Analysis

The ASUS AI Suite 3 driver exposes an IOCTL interface for user-mode components to communicate with the kernel driver. The driver fails to properly validate the size or quantity of data specified in incoming IOCTL requests. A local attacker who can open a handle to the driver device object issues crafted IOCTL calls that reference memory outside intended buffer boundaries. This allows arbitrary kernel memory read and write primitives, which map directly to local privilege escalation on Windows.

Root Cause

The root cause is classified under [CWE-1284] Improper Validation of Specified Quantity in Input. The driver trusts a length or count field supplied by user mode without bounding it against the actual allocated buffer. When the driver dereferences pointers or copies data using this attacker-controlled quantity, it accesses memory regions that were never intended to be exposed to user mode.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access with low privileges. The attacker must be able to execute code on the target system as a standard user. No user interaction beyond the attacker's own actions is required. The attacker opens the driver device using CreateFileW, then issues a crafted DeviceIoControl call with manipulated size parameters. Because the driver runs in kernel mode, memory access primitives obtained through the IOCTL translate into full system compromise. This class of vulnerable signed driver is commonly abused in Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks, where adversaries load the legitimate signed driver on unrelated systems to bypass endpoint protections.

No public exploit code has been published, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Refer to the ASUS Security Advisory for vendor guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-4989

Indicators of Compromise

Presence of the ASUS AI Suite 3 driver file on systems where the software is not required, which may indicate BYOVD staging
Unexpected DeviceIoControl calls from non-ASUS processes to the AI Suite 3 driver device object
New services or drivers loaded by non-administrative users referencing the AI Suite 3 driver path
Sudden token privilege changes on processes that previously ran as standard user

Detection Strategies

Inventory endpoints for the ASUS AI Suite 3 driver and flag installations on systems that do not use ASUS motherboards or tuning software
Monitor kernel driver load events (Windows Event ID 6, Sysmon Event ID 6) for the AI Suite 3 driver being loaded outside expected installation flows
Alert on user-mode processes opening handles to the AI Suite 3 driver device object followed by rapid privilege elevation
Correlate IOCTL activity with subsequent creation of SYSTEM-context processes

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Microsoft's vulnerable driver blocklist and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI) where compatible
Log driver installation and service creation events centrally for retrospective analysis
Track process integrity level changes and unexpected parent-child relationships involving the driver

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-4989

Immediate Actions Required

Uninstall ASUS AI Suite 3 from all systems where it is not operationally required, as the product is marked unsupported
Add the vulnerable driver hashes to the Microsoft vulnerable driver blocklist and to application control policies such as Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC)
Restrict local user privileges and audit which accounts can interact with kernel driver device objects
Review endpoints for unauthorized copies of the driver that may indicate BYOVD preparation

Patch Information

ASUS marked the affected product as ** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED **, indicating no security patch will be issued through the standard support lifecycle. Consult the ASUS Security Advisory for the vendor's current guidance and any updated driver revisions.

Workarounds

Remove the ASUS AI Suite 3 driver entirely if the tuning functionality is not needed
Enable HVCI and Memory Integrity to block loading of drivers with known vulnerable signatures
Deploy WDAC or AppLocker policies that explicitly deny loading of the AI Suite 3 driver
Limit interactive logon to trusted users to reduce the local attack surface

bash

# Example: Query for the ASUS AI Suite 3 driver presence on Windows
Get-WmiObject Win32_SystemDriver | Where-Object { $_.PathName -match 'AsIO|AsusIO|AI Suite' }

# Remove the driver service if identified (run as Administrator)
sc.exe stop <DriverServiceName>
sc.exe delete <DriverServiceName>