CVE-2025-13176: ESET Inspect Connector DLL Hijacking

CVE-2025-13176 Overview

CVE-2025-13176 is a DLL injection vulnerability affecting ESET Inspect Connector for Windows. The flaw allows a local attacker to plant a custom configuration file that enables the loading of a malicious DLL, potentially leading to local privilege escalation. This vulnerability stems from improper privilege management (CWE-269), where the application fails to properly validate or restrict configuration file modifications that control DLL loading behavior.

Critical Impact

Local attackers with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability to load malicious DLLs through configuration file manipulation, potentially escalating privileges and compromising system security.

Affected Products

• ESET Inspect Connector for Windows (vulnerable versions prior to patch)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-01-30 - CVE-2025-13176 published to NVD
• 2026-02-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13176

Vulnerability Analysis

This DLL injection vulnerability exists in ESET Inspect Connector's configuration handling mechanism. The core issue lies in how the application processes configuration files that specify which DLLs should be loaded during execution. An attacker with local access and low-level privileges can create or modify a configuration file to point to a malicious DLL, which the application then loads with elevated privileges.

The vulnerability is classified under CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management), indicating that the application fails to properly enforce privilege boundaries when processing configuration directives. This allows unprivileged users to influence the behavior of privileged processes by manipulating configuration files that should be protected from unauthorized modification.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2025-13176 is improper privilege management in ESET Inspect Connector's configuration file handling. The application does not adequately validate or restrict access to configuration files that control DLL loading paths. This allows local users with limited privileges to plant a custom configuration file that specifies a malicious DLL path, which the privileged service then loads without proper verification of the DLL's origin or integrity.

Attack Vector

The attack requires local access to the target system with low-privilege user credentials. The attacker exploits the vulnerability by:

1. Identifying the configuration file location used by ESET Inspect Connector
2. Creating or modifying the configuration file to specify a path to an attacker-controlled DLL
3. Waiting for or triggering the ESET Inspect Connector service to restart or reload its configuration
4. The service loads the malicious DLL with its elevated privileges, executing attacker code in a privileged context

This local attack vector requires no user interaction and can be executed with low attack complexity once the attacker has established local access to the system.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13176

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected or unauthorized modifications to ESET Inspect Connector configuration files
• Presence of unrecognized DLL files in directories accessible by the ESET Inspect Connector service
• Unusual DLL loading events associated with ESET Inspect Connector processes
• Configuration file timestamps that do not align with legitimate administrative changes

Detection Strategies

• Monitor file system changes to ESET Inspect Connector configuration directories using file integrity monitoring (FIM) tools
• Implement process monitoring to detect DLL loading from unusual or unauthorized locations by ESET processes
• Enable Windows Security Event logging for object access and process creation events
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to identify suspicious DLL injection patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure alerts for configuration file modifications outside of scheduled maintenance windows
• Monitor Windows Event Logs for Event ID 7045 (service installation) and Event ID 4688 (process creation) related to ESET components
• Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized DLL loading
• Review ESET Inspect Connector logs for configuration parsing errors or unexpected DLL load attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13176

Immediate Actions Required

• Update ESET Inspect Connector for Windows to the latest patched version as indicated in the ESET Customer Advisory
• Review and restrict file system permissions on ESET Inspect Connector configuration directories
• Audit systems for signs of exploitation or unauthorized configuration modifications
• Implement application control policies to restrict DLL loading to approved paths

Patch Information

ESET has released a security update addressing this local privilege escalation vulnerability. Administrators should consult the ESET Customer Advisory for specific version information and download the latest ESET Inspect Connector for Windows from official ESET channels.

Workarounds

• Restrict write access to ESET Inspect Connector configuration directories to administrators only
• Implement file integrity monitoring on configuration files to detect unauthorized modifications
• Use Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) or AppLocker to restrict DLL loading to trusted paths
• Consider isolating systems running vulnerable versions until patching can be completed