CVE-2025-2502: Lenovo PC Manager Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2025-2502 Overview

CVE-2025-2502 is an improper default permissions vulnerability [CWE-276] in Lenovo PC Manager. A local attacker with low privileges can leverage the flaw to elevate privileges on the affected system. The issue impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the local host. Lenovo published advisory Lenovo Security Advisory #428586 with remediation guidance for affected installations.

Critical Impact
A local, authenticated user can escalate to higher privileges on hosts running vulnerable versions of Lenovo PC Manager, gaining full control over the endpoint.

Affected Products

Lenovo PC Manager (see vendor advisory for affected version ranges)
Windows endpoints with Lenovo PC Manager pre-installed
OEM Lenovo consumer and commercial PCs shipped with PC Manager

Discovery Timeline

2025-05-30 - CVE-2025-2502 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-2502

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability stems from insecure default permissions applied to Lenovo PC Manager resources on the local host. Under [CWE-276], the software installs files, directories, or objects with permissions that grant excessive access to non-privileged users. A local attacker who already has a standard user account on the system can abuse this weakness to reach resources normally reserved for higher-privileged principals.

Because Lenovo PC Manager runs components with elevated rights, a permission misconfiguration on any writable artifact in its trust chain can be leveraged to execute code or load content in a privileged context. This transforms a low-privilege foothold into full local administrator control.

Exploitation does not require user interaction beyond an authenticated local session. The attack is limited to the local machine and does not traverse the network.

Root Cause

The root cause is the assignment of overly permissive access control entries to files, directories, services, or registry objects belonging to Lenovo PC Manager during installation. Standard users inherit write or modify rights on assets that should be restricted to SYSTEM or Administrators.

Attack Vector

An attacker begins with an interactive or remote logon as a standard local user. The attacker identifies a Lenovo PC Manager resource writable by non-privileged accounts, replaces or modifies it, and waits for a privileged Lenovo PC Manager process or scheduled task to consume the tampered artifact. Execution then proceeds under the elevated security context. No verified public proof-of-concept has been published.

The vulnerability mechanism is described in prose only; refer to Lenovo Security Advisory #428586 for vendor technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-2502

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected modifications to files or directories within the Lenovo PC Manager installation path made by non-administrative user accounts.
New or altered executables, DLLs, or scripts inside Lenovo PC Manager service directories that are not signed by Lenovo.
Lenovo PC Manager services or scheduled tasks spawning unexpected child processes such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or rundll32.exe.
Access control list changes on Lenovo PC Manager objects that do not correspond to a documented installer or update event.

Detection Strategies

Audit filesystem and registry access control lists on all Lenovo PC Manager paths and flag entries granting write or modify rights to Users, Authenticated Users, or Everyone.
Enable Windows Security auditing for object access on Lenovo PC Manager directories and monitor Event IDs 4663 and 4670 for writes by non-privileged users.
Hunt for privileged Lenovo PC Manager processes that load modules from user-writable locations.

Monitoring Recommendations

Alert on process lineage where a Lenovo PC Manager service running as SYSTEM launches interactive shells or LOLBins.
Track software inventory to identify hosts still running pre-patch versions of Lenovo PC Manager.
Correlate local logon events with subsequent modifications to Lenovo PC Manager binaries to identify potential exploitation attempts.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-2502

Immediate Actions Required

Update Lenovo PC Manager to the fixed version referenced in Lenovo Security Advisory #428586 on every affected endpoint.
Inventory all Lenovo devices in the environment and prioritize workstations where standard users have interactive access.
Restrict local logon rights on sensitive systems to reduce the population of accounts that could exploit the flaw.

Patch Information

Lenovo has issued guidance and updated versions of PC Manager through Lenovo Security Advisory #428586. Deploy the updated build via Lenovo's update mechanism or through managed software distribution. Verify successful installation by checking the PC Manager version property after deployment.

Workarounds

If patching cannot be performed immediately, uninstall Lenovo PC Manager on systems where it is not required for business operations.
Manually tighten access control lists on Lenovo PC Manager files, directories, and registry keys so that only SYSTEM and Administrators retain write permissions.
Apply application control policies to block execution of non-Lenovo-signed binaries from within the Lenovo PC Manager installation directory.

bash

# Example: audit ACLs on the Lenovo PC Manager install directory (PowerShell)
Get-ChildItem -Path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Lenovo\LenovoPCManager' -Recurse |
  ForEach-Object { Get-Acl $_.FullName } |
  Where-Object { $_.Access | Where-Object { $_.IdentityReference -match 'Users|Everyone|Authenticated Users' -and $_.FileSystemRights -match 'Write|Modify|FullControl' } }