CVE-2025-59373: ASUS System Control Privilege Escalation

CVE-2025-59373 Overview

CVE-2025-59373 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the restore mechanism of the ASUS System Control Interface. The flaw allows an unprivileged local actor to copy files into protected system paths without proper validation. Attackers can leverage this behavior to place arbitrary files that are later executed with SYSTEM privileges. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-732] (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) and is documented in the ASUS Security Advisory under the Security Update for MyASUS section.

Critical Impact
A local, low-privileged user can achieve arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM on affected Windows endpoints running the ASUS System Control Interface.

Affected Products

ASUS System Control Interface (component used by MyASUS)
MyASUS application (per ASUS Security Advisory)
Windows endpoints with the affected ASUS driver/service installed

Discovery Timeline

2025-11-25 - CVE-2025-59373 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-59373

Vulnerability Analysis

The ASUS System Control Interface exposes a restore mechanism that operates with elevated privileges. During the restore workflow, the service copies files from a user-writable location into protected system directories without verifying the source file's origin, integrity, or the caller's authorization. A local attacker who can write to the source location can stage a malicious binary or DLL that the privileged service then propagates into a SYSTEM-owned path. When Windows or a related service subsequently loads or executes that file, the attacker's code runs with SYSTEM privileges. Exploitation requires only local access with low privileges and no user interaction.

Root Cause

The underlying weakness maps to [CWE-732], Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource. The restore routine trusts input files placed by unprivileged users and fails to validate ownership, path canonicalization, or code signing before copying content into protected directories. This trust boundary violation allows unprivileged input to influence privileged file operations.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. An authenticated user on the target system stages a payload in a location accessible to the restore mechanism, triggers the restore workflow, and waits for the privileged service to copy the file into a protected path. Follow-on execution of that file, either through normal service loading or through a scheduled action, delivers SYSTEM-level code execution. See the ASUS Security Advisory for vendor-provided technical detail.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-59373

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected file writes into protected paths such as C:\Program Files\ASUS\ or C:\Windows\System32\ originating from the ASUS System Control Interface service.
New or modified executables and DLLs in ASUS-related directories that lack a valid ASUS Authenticode signature.
Processes launched as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM whose parent is an ASUS service and whose image was recently written by a non-administrative user.

Detection Strategies

Monitor file-creation events (Windows Event ID 4663, Sysmon Event ID 11) inside ASUS installation directories where the writer is a privileged service but the source content originated from a user-writable path.
Alert on unsigned or non-ASUS-signed binaries being executed by the ASUS System Control Interface service.
Correlate restore-mechanism invocations with subsequent SYSTEM-level process creations that were not part of a normal update cycle.

Monitoring Recommendations

Baseline the legitimate file operations performed by the ASUS System Control Interface and flag deviations, especially writes sourced from user profile directories.
Enable command-line and image-load auditing (Sysmon Event IDs 1 and 7) for processes spawned by ASUS services.
Forward endpoint telemetry to a central analytics platform to correlate low-privilege file staging with subsequent privileged execution.

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-59373

Immediate Actions Required

Apply the security update referenced in the ASUS Security Advisory for MyASUS and the ASUS System Control Interface without delay.
Inventory endpoints for the presence of the ASUS System Control Interface and prioritize patching on multi-user and shared workstations.
Restrict interactive logon on affected systems to trusted users until patching completes.

Patch Information

ASUS has published fixed versions of MyASUS and the ASUS System Control Interface. Refer to the ASUS Security Advisory, section "Security Update for MyASUS," for the specific fixed build numbers and download links.

Workarounds

If immediate patching is not possible, disable or uninstall the ASUS System Control Interface service on systems where it is not required.
Tighten NTFS permissions on the source directories consumed by the restore mechanism to prevent unprivileged writes.
Apply application control policies (Windows Defender Application Control or AppLocker) to block execution of unsigned binaries from ASUS directories.

bash

# Configuration example: stop and disable the ASUS System Control Interface service
sc.exe stop "ASUSSystemAnalysis"
sc.exe config "ASUSSystemAnalysis" start= disabled