CVE-2026-24502: 
Dell Command | Intel vPro Out of Band vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2026-24502 is an Uncontrolled Search Path Element vulnerability (CWE-427) in Dell Command | Intel vPro Out of Band, affecting all versions prior to 4.7.0. A low-privileged local attacker can exploit this flaw to achieve elevation of privileges on the affected system. The vulnerability was published on March 3, 2026, with a patch available via Dell Security Advisory DSA-2026-106. It carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High) per NVD, and 8.8 (High) per ENISA's EUVD scoring (Dell Advisory, ENISA EUVD).

The vulnerability is classified as CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element), meaning the application uses a search path that can be influenced by an attacker to load malicious resources such as DLLs or executables. An attacker with low-privileged local access can place a malicious file in a directory that the application searches before the legitimate path, causing the application to load and execute attacker-controlled code. This technique aligns with MITRE ATT&CK techniques T1574.001 (DLL Search Order Hijacking) and T1574.007 (Path Interception by PATH Environment Variable), and CAPEC-471 (Search Order Hijacking). No user interaction is required for exploitation (Dell Advisory, The Hacker Wire).

Successful exploitation allows a low-privileged local attacker to escalate privileges on the affected system, resulting in high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability. An attacker could gain elevated access to sensitive system resources, modify critical configurations, or disrupt system operations. The scope of impact is limited to the affected host, but elevated privileges could facilitate further lateral movement within a network environment (Dell Advisory, ENISA EUVD).

As of the time of reporting, there is no public proof-of-concept exploit and no evidence of in-the-wild exploitation (The Hacker Wire). The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The EPSS score is approximately 0.006%, indicating a very low probability of exploitation in the near term. Exploitation requires local access with low privileges and no user interaction, limiting the attack surface to authenticated local users or those who have already achieved initial access.

1. Gain Local Access: Obtain a low-privileged local account on a system running Dell Command | Intel vPro Out of Band version prior to 4.7.0, either through credential theft, phishing, or another initial access technique.
2. Identify Vulnerable Search Paths: Enumerate the directories included in the application's search path (e.g., PATH environment variable entries, application working directories, or DLL search order paths) to identify locations writable by low-privileged users.
3. Place Malicious Payload: Drop a malicious executable or DLL with the same name as a legitimate resource expected by the application into a writable directory that appears earlier in the search order than the legitimate path.
4. Trigger Application Execution: Wait for or trigger the Dell Command | Intel vPro Out of Band application to execute a routine that loads the targeted resource, causing it to load the attacker's malicious file instead.
5. Achieve Privilege Escalation: The malicious payload executes in the context of the higher-privileged application process, granting the attacker elevated privileges on the system (Dell Advisory, The Hacker Wire).

• File System: Unexpected DLL or executable files placed in directories included in the system or application PATH, particularly in user-writable locations; files with names matching legitimate Dell Command | Intel vPro Out of Band components in non-standard directories.
• Process: Unusual child processes spawned by Dell Command | Intel vPro Out of Band processes; processes running at elevated privilege levels originating from user-writable directories.
• Logs: Windows Event Logs (Security) showing privilege escalation events (e.g., Event ID 4672 - Special privileges assigned to new logon) associated with the Dell application process; application logs showing unexpected module load paths.
• Network: Outbound network connections from the Dell Command | Intel vPro Out of Band process to unexpected external hosts, which may indicate post-exploitation activity.

Dell has released version 4.7.0 of Dell Command | Intel vPro Out of Band to address this vulnerability, as documented in security advisory DSA-2026-106. Organizations should upgrade to version 4.7.0 or later as the primary remediation. As interim mitigations, restrict local system access to trusted users only, audit and restrict write permissions on directories included in the application's search path, and monitor systems for suspicious privilege escalation activity (Dell Advisory).

Coverage of CVE-2026-24502 has been limited to automated vulnerability tracking platforms and security news aggregators. The Hacker Wire published a brief report on the elevation of privilege issue, and the vulnerability was noted on social media platforms including Bluesky and Mastodon by security-focused accounts (The Hacker Wire). No significant researcher commentary or broader media coverage has been identified, consistent with the low EPSS score and absence of active exploitation.