Aura Wallpaper Service: External Control of File Name or Path
CVE-2026-8920 is a high-severity external control of file name or path vulnerability in Aura Wallpaper Service from ASUS, with a CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.5 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. Affected Aura Wallpaper Service versions: v2.1.8.0 through v2.1.15.0. The record does not name a fixed version, so check the vendor advisory. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.11% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Check which version of Aura Wallpaper Service you run against the affected versions below, and install the vendor's latest release.
- Read the advisory on asus.com for workarounds and exact fixed builds.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS | Aura Wallpaper Service | v2.1.8.0 through v2.1.15.0 | Not stated |
Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.
How the severity score breaks down
- Attack vector
- LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
- Attack complexity
- HighSuccess depends on conditions outside the attacker's control.
- Attack requirements
- NoneThe attack does not depend on a particular deployment or configuration.
- Privileges required
- LowA basic user account is enough.
- User interaction
- NoneNo action by a victim is required.
- Confidentiality (vulnerable system)
- HighSerious loss of confidentiality on the vulnerable system.
- Integrity (vulnerable system)
- HighSerious loss of integrity on the vulnerable system.
- Availability (vulnerable system)
- HighSerious loss of availability on the vulnerable system.
- Confidentiality (other systems)
- HighSerious loss of confidentiality on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
- Integrity (other systems)
- NoneNo loss of integrity on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
- Availability (other systems)
- NoneNo loss of availability on systems beyond the vulnerable one.
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X. Scored by CNA.
Official description
Improper Restriction of Communication Channel to Intended Endpoints and External Control of File Name or Path in Aura Wallpaper Service allow a local user to perform file operations by sending crafted commands containing an arbitrary file path and bypassing the service’s path restrictions . On specific models , this can also cause a single feature to become unavailable . Refer to the ' Security Update for Aura Wallpaper Service ' section on the ASUS Security Advisory for more information.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: External Control of File Name or Path
The product allows user input to control or influence paths or file names that are used in filesystem operations.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- When the set of filenames is limited or known, create a mapping from a set of fixed input values (such as numeric IDs) to the actual filenames, and reject all other inputs. For example, ID 1 could map to inbox.txt and ID 2 could map to profile.txt. Features such as the ESAPI AccessReferenceMap provide this capability.
- Run your code in a jail or similar sandbox environment that enforces strict boundaries between the process and the operating system. This may effectively restrict all access to files within a particular directory. Examples include the Unix chroot jail and AppArmor. In general, managed code may provide some protection. This may not be a feasible solution, and it only limits the impact to the operating system; the rest of your application may still be subject to compromise. Be careful to avoid CWE-243 and other weaknesses related to jails.
- For any security checks that are performed on the client side, ensure that these checks are duplicated on the server side, in order to avoid CWE-602. Attackers can bypass the client-side checks by modifying values after the checks have been performed, or by changing the client to remove the client-side checks entirely. Then, these modified values would be submitted to the server.
More External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities (CWE-73)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Advisories
Recent External Control of File Name or Path vulnerabilities
- 9.1 Critical severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 8.3 High severity
- 8.6 High severity
- 9.9 Critical severity
- 7.5 High severity
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