Windows UAC Bypass Exploits Character Map Tool for Privilege Escalation

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a new technique that allows attackers to bypass Windows User Account Control (UAC) protections by exploiting an unexpected vulnerability in the system’s Private Character Editor tool, potentially granting unauthorized administrative privileges without user consent.

The exploit targets eudcedit.exe, Windows’ Private Character Editor located in C:\Windows\System32, which is typically used for creating and editing custom user-defined characters (EUDC).

Security researchers discovered that this seemingly innocuous application contains specific manifest configurations that make it susceptible to privilege escalation attacks.

The vulnerability stems from two critical elements within the application’s manifest metadata. The first element, , instructs Windows to automatically run the binary with full administrative rights.

The second component, true, directs the system to bypass UAC prompts for trusted binaries when launched by users already belonging to the Administrators group.

Exploitation Process

The attack methodology is surprisingly straightforward, requiring minimal user interaction. Attackers first ...