CVE-2026-13585 Overview
CVE-2026-13585 affects the ASUS System Control Interface driver and ASUS Business Manager. The flaw combines two weaknesses: Allocation of Resources Without Limits and Throttling, and Sensitive Information in Resource Not Removed Before Reuse [CWE-226]. A local administrator can send crafted Input/Output Control (IOCTL) requests to disclose sensitive kernel information. In severe cases, the same attack path can trigger a Denial of Service (DoS) on the affected system. ASUS has published corrective guidance in the vendor security advisory. The vulnerability requires local access and high privileges, but no user interaction, and impacts confidentiality and availability of the host and subsequent systems.
Critical Impact
A local administrator can leverage crafted IOCTL requests against the ASUS System Control Interface driver to leak residual kernel memory contents and, in severe cases, cause a system-wide Denial of Service.
Affected Products
- ASUS System Control Interface driver
- ASUS Business Manager
- Refer to the ASUS Security Advisory for the complete list of affected versions
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-07-15 - CVE-2026-13585 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-07-15 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-13585
Vulnerability Analysis
The ASUS System Control Interface driver exposes IOCTL handlers that user-mode processes invoke to interact with kernel functionality. Two distinct weaknesses are present in these handlers. First, the driver allocates resources without applying limits or throttling, allowing an attacker to exhaust kernel resources through repeated or oversized requests. Second, the driver fails to zero or scrub buffers before returning them, exposing sensitive information that was previously stored in the reused memory.
An attacker with local administrator rights can craft IOCTL requests that return residual kernel data. Repeatedly issuing such requests can also drive the system into a Denial of Service condition. The scope extends beyond the driver itself because leaked kernel data may enable further post-exploitation activity against other components.
Root Cause
The root cause is described by [CWE-226]: Sensitive Information in Resource Not Removed Before Reuse. The driver returns memory buffers to user mode without first clearing prior contents. Compounding this, the absence of allocation limits allows attacker-controlled request patterns to exhaust kernel pool memory.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local access with administrative privileges. The attacker opens a handle to the vulnerable ASUS driver device object and issues crafted DeviceIoControl calls. No user interaction is required. Because the trust boundary is between user mode and kernel mode, a compromised administrator account or a malicious signed application can weaponize the flaw to harvest kernel memory or destabilize the operating system.
No public proof-of-concept code is available. Technical details are described in the ASUS advisory. See the ASUS Security Advisory for authoritative technical information.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-13585
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected user-mode processes opening handles to the ASUS System Control Interface driver device object outside of legitimate ASUS management workflows.
- Abnormally high volumes of DeviceIoControl calls issued against the ASUS driver from a single process.
- Unexpected system instability, kernel pool exhaustion warnings, or bugchecks correlated with ASUS driver activity.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor kernel object access to the ASUS System Control Interface driver and alert on non-ASUS parent processes issuing IOCTL traffic.
- Baseline normal IOCTL request rates for the driver and flag deviations that indicate resource-exhaustion attempts.
- Correlate administrator logon events with subsequent driver interaction to identify abuse of privileged sessions.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Collect Windows kernel telemetry and driver load events into a centralized data lake for retrospective analysis.
- Track ASUS driver and ASUS Business Manager versions across the fleet to identify unpatched hosts.
- Enable crash-dump collection so that DoS events can be attributed to the vulnerable driver rather than misclassified as hardware faults.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-13585
Immediate Actions Required
- Apply the security update referenced in the ASUS Security Advisory as soon as it is available for your model.
- Inventory all endpoints running the ASUS System Control Interface driver and ASUS Business Manager and prioritize patching.
- Restrict local administrator rights to reduce the population of accounts capable of triggering the flaw.
Patch Information
ASUS has issued corrective guidance in the "Security Update for ASUS System Control Interface" section of the ASUS Security Advisory. Administrators should update both the ASUS System Control Interface driver and ASUS Business Manager to the fixed versions listed in the advisory.
Workarounds
- Where patching is delayed, uninstall ASUS Business Manager and the ASUS System Control Interface driver on systems that do not require them.
- Enforce least-privilege policies so that day-to-day accounts do not hold local administrator rights.
- Apply application control policies to block untrusted binaries from opening handles to the ASUS driver device object.
# Query installed ASUS System Control Interface driver version on Windows
Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPSignedDriver | Where-Object { $_.DeviceName -like "*ASUS System Control Interface*" } | Select-Object DeviceName, DriverVersion, DriverDate
# List installed ASUS Business Manager package
Get-Package | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*ASUS Business Manager*" } | Select-Object Name, Version
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
