CVE-2025-69783 in OpenEDR
Summary
by MITRE • 03/16/2026
A local attacker can bypass OpenEDR's 2.5.1.0 self-defense mechanism by renaming a malicious executable to match a trusted process name (e.g., csrss.exe, edrsvc.exe, edrcon.exe). This allows unauthorized interaction with the OpenEDR kernel driver, granting access to privileged functionality such as configuration changes, process monitoring, and IOCTL communication that should be restricted to trusted components. While this issue alone does not directly grant SYSTEM privileges, it breaks OpenEDR's trust model and enables further exploitation leading to full local privilege escalation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2026
The vulnerability described in CVE-2025-69783 represents a critical trust model bypass in OpenEDR version 2.5.1.0 that fundamentally undermines the security architecture of the endpoint protection solution. This weakness allows local attackers to circumvent the self-defense mechanisms that are designed to prevent unauthorized access to the kernel driver interface. The attack vector specifically exploits the software's reliance on process name validation as a primary security control, which creates a significant gap in the defense-in-depth strategy that should protect privileged system components from malicious interference.
The technical flaw manifests through a simple yet effective renaming technique where an attacker can manipulate the filename of a malicious executable to match legitimate trusted process names such as csrss.exe, edrsvc.exe, or edrcon.exe. This approach leverages the operating system's process identification mechanisms and the kernel driver's trust validation logic that fails to implement robust identity verification beyond basic filename matching. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of process name spoofing and kernel driver access control, creating a pathway for unauthorized interaction with privileged system interfaces. This type of flaw aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and CWE-345 (Insufficient Verification of Data Authenticity), as it demonstrates both inadequate access control mechanisms and failure to properly authenticate process identity.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to represent a complete breakdown in the trust model that OpenEDR relies upon for protecting system integrity. While the immediate access granted does not directly provide SYSTEM privileges, it enables attackers to perform unauthorized configuration changes that could disable security features, modify monitoring parameters, or establish persistent access points. The ability to communicate with the kernel driver through IOCTL interfaces allows for sophisticated manipulation of the endpoint protection system, potentially creating blind spots in monitoring or enabling the attacker to hide their activities from detection. This vulnerability can be classified under ATT&CK technique T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) and T1566 (Phishing) when combined with social engineering approaches to initially establish the malicious executable.
The implications of this vulnerability are particularly severe because it enables attackers to operate within the trusted execution environment of the endpoint protection system itself. Once the malicious process masquerades as a legitimate component, it can perform operations such as process monitoring, memory inspection, and configuration modifications that should be restricted to authorized components only. This breach of trust model creates opportunities for further exploitation including potential privilege escalation through advanced techniques like kernel exploitation or credential harvesting. The vulnerability demonstrates a critical design flaw in how the software validates process identity and highlights the importance of implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms for kernel driver access. Organizations using OpenEDR version 2.5.1.0 should consider immediate mitigation strategies including process monitoring for suspicious name changes, enhanced kernel driver access controls, and implementation of additional verification mechanisms beyond simple filename matching. The vulnerability also underscores the need for regular security assessments of endpoint protection systems to ensure that their self-defense mechanisms remain robust against evolving attack techniques.