---
id: "CVE-2026-102438"
kind: "vulnerability"
aliases: ["CVE-2026-102438"]
title: "ASUS Armoury Crate: local DLL search path flaw grants SYSTEM code execution"
severity: "high"
cvss: 8.5
epss: null
exploited: false
status: "open"
category: "infrastructure"
products: []
ecosystems: []
tags: ["armoury-crate", "asus", "endpoints", "infrastructure", "windows"]
not_affected_if: ["no-armoury-crate-installed", "single-trusted-user"]
published_at: "2026-10-20T02:17:08+00:00"
first_seen_at: "2026-10-23T21:57:19+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-10-25T03:00:30+00:00"
sources: [{"source": "nvd", "url": "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102438", "first_seen_at": "2026-10-23T21:57:19+00:00"}]
---

# ASUS Armoury Crate: local DLL search path flaw grants SYSTEM code execution

ASUS Armoury Crate loads a dynamic-link library from an uncontrolled search path, and a high-privilege process later loads it. A local user who plants a replacement DLL can run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges.

_Summary, check and fix written by a model from the sources; labelled as such._

## How to check

- Open Armoury Crate and check the installed version against the ASUS Security Advisory referenced in the NVD entry
- unknown for exact version strings and file paths, as the sources do not say

## Fix

- Update Armoury Crate to the fixed version listed in the ASUS Security Advisory (the version number is unknown from these sources)

## Timeline

- 2026-10-23T21:57:19+00:00 nvd https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102438

## From the sources

An uncontrolled search path element vulnerability in ASUS Armoury Crate allows local users to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges via replacement of a dynamic-link library (DLL) that is later loaded by a high-privilege process.
Refer to the '
Security Update for Armoury Crate App ' section on the ASUS Security Advisory for more information.

---

_Free to read at a human pace. An API with keys and an MCP server are in preparation; early access: hello@infrastack.ai_