CVE-2026-10590 in Lenovo
Summary
by MITRE • 07/16/2026
A potential missing authentication vulnerability could allow a local privileged attacker to use WMI commands to arbitrarily trigger a System Management Interrupt handler.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Windows Management Instrumentation that could enable local privilege escalation through unauthorized system management interrupt triggering. The issue stems from insufficient authentication checks within the WMI subsystem, allowing attackers with local access to execute malicious WMI commands that can manipulate system management interrupts without proper authorization. Such a weakness creates a pathway for attackers to potentially elevate their privileges or disrupt system operations by leveraging the underlying hardware interrupt mechanisms that are typically protected from unauthorized access. The vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of system management functions, as it allows unauthorized manipulation of low-level hardware interrupts that are normally restricted to privileged system components.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves WMI's handling of system management interrupt commands where authentication checks are either missing or insufficiently enforced. Attackers can exploit this by crafting specific WMI queries or commands that target the SMI handler, bypassing normal security boundaries that should prevent such operations from being executed by unprivileged local processes. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control in software systems, specifically targeting scenarios where insufficient authorization checks allow unauthorized entities to perform privileged operations. The attack vector typically requires local system access but can be particularly dangerous because SMI handlers are designed to operate at the highest privilege levels within the system architecture.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability could enable attackers to gain elevated privileges or cause system instability through manipulation of hardware interrupts that control critical system functions. The potential for privilege escalation means that a local attacker could potentially gain SYSTEM level access or execute arbitrary code with the highest system privileges. Such capabilities could be leveraged for persistent access, data exfiltration, or disruption of system services by triggering SMI handlers that may have unintended side effects. Organizations running systems with vulnerable WMI configurations face significant risk as this vulnerability can be exploited without requiring network connectivity or complex attack chains, making it particularly attractive to threat actors seeking local privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper access controls and authentication mechanisms within the WMI subsystem while also considering system hardening measures that restrict local user capabilities. Organizations should ensure that WMI is properly configured with appropriate permissions and that unnecessary WMI services are disabled where possible. The implementation of least privilege principles for WMI access and regular monitoring for unauthorized WMI activity can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, system administrators should apply relevant security patches from Microsoft as soon as they become available, while also considering network segmentation and endpoint protection solutions to limit the lateral movement capabilities that such vulnerabilities might enable. This vulnerability type maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter usage and T1068 for local privilege escalation through system management interrupt manipulation.