CVE-2026-44682 Overview
CVE-2026-44682 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Acronis DeviceLock DLP for Windows. The flaw stems from a DLL hijacking weakness [CWE-427] in builds prior to 9.0.15051.93227. An authenticated local attacker can place a malicious dynamic-link library (DLL) in a location searched by the vulnerable process. When a privileged user runs the affected application, the planted DLL loads with elevated privileges. Successful exploitation compromises confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected host.
Critical Impact
Local attackers with low privileges can escalate to higher privileges on Windows systems running vulnerable Acronis DeviceLock DLP builds, leading to full host compromise.
Affected Products
- Acronis DeviceLock DLP (Windows) before build 9.0.15051.93227
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-06-03 - CVE-2026-44682 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
- 2026-06-03 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-44682
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability is classified as Uncontrolled Search Path Element [CWE-427]. Acronis DeviceLock DLP loads one or more DLLs without specifying a fully qualified path or without restricting the search order to trusted directories. Windows then resolves the DLL through its default search sequence, which includes directories writable by lower-privileged users in certain configurations. An attacker who can write to a directory in the search path stages a malicious DLL with a name matching the expected library. The next time the DeviceLock DLP process loads that library, the attacker's code executes in the security context of the calling process.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper control over the DLL search path during library loading. The application does not enforce safe loading practices such as LoadLibraryEx with LOAD_LIBRARY_SEARCH_SYSTEM32 or absolute paths. This permits a local user to influence which library is loaded by the privileged DeviceLock DLP process.
Attack Vector
Exploitation requires local access and low privileges on the target Windows host. User interaction is required, typically in the form of a privileged user launching the vulnerable executable or triggering the affected code path. The attacker plants a crafted DLL in a directory that the application searches before the legitimate library location. When loaded, the malicious DLL executes attacker-controlled code with the privileges of the host process. See the Acronis Security Advisory SEC-11249 for vendor-confirmed technical details.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-44682
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected DLL files present in the Acronis DeviceLock DLP installation directory or in directories preceding it in the Windows DLL search order.
- DLLs loaded by DeviceLock DLP processes from user-writable paths such as %TEMP%, %APPDATA%, or non-standard subdirectories.
- New or modified DLL files on disk with timestamps that do not match the legitimate Acronis installation.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor ImageLoad events (Sysmon Event ID 7) for DeviceLock DLP processes loading libraries from non-standard locations.
- Compare loaded DLL hashes against known-good Acronis-signed binaries and flag unsigned or untrusted modules.
- Track file creation events in directories adjacent to the DeviceLock DLP installation path for newly written DLL files.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable Windows Defender Application Control or AppLocker policies that block unsigned DLLs from loading into privileged processes.
- Audit process integrity levels and alert when a low-integrity user writes to directories searched by high-integrity processes.
- Review Acronis DeviceLock DLP service logs for abnormal process spawns or unexpected module load failures.
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-44682
Immediate Actions Required
- Upgrade Acronis DeviceLock DLP for Windows to build 9.0.15051.93227 or later as documented in the vendor advisory.
- Inventory all Windows endpoints running Acronis DeviceLock DLP and verify installed build numbers.
- Restrict write permissions on the DeviceLock DLP installation directory and its parent paths to administrators only.
Patch Information
Acronis has released a fixed build addressing CVE-2026-44682. Apply Acronis DeviceLock DLP build 9.0.15051.93227 or newer. Refer to the Acronis Security Advisory SEC-11249 for download links and verification guidance.
Workarounds
- Limit local logon and interactive access on hosts running DeviceLock DLP to trusted administrative users only.
- Enforce application allowlisting to block execution and loading of unauthorized DLLs from non-standard directories.
- Apply NTFS access control lists that prevent non-administrative users from writing to directories in the DLL search path.
# Example: restrict write access on the DeviceLock DLP install directory (run as Administrator)
icacls "C:\Program Files\DeviceLock" /inheritance:r
icacls "C:\Program Files\DeviceLock" /grant:r "Administrators:(OI)(CI)F" "SYSTEM:(OI)(CI)F" "Users:(OI)(CI)RX"
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
