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CVE-2026-46731 is an authentication bypass vulnerability identified in Dell Display and Peripheral Manager (DDPM) for Windows. The vulnerability stems from improper implementation of authentication schemes that are subject to spoofing attacks. Specifically, the software fails to adequately verify the authenticity of certain credentials or authentication tokens presented during local interactions. This allows a low-privileged attacker with physical or local access to the target system to spoof legitimate authentication data.
The core issue lies in how DDPM handles authentication for privileged operations. In versions prior to 2.3.0.17, the application does not properly validate whether the entity requesting elevated actions is genuinely authorized. By crafting or replaying spoofed authentication artifacts, an attacker can trick the software into believing they possess higher privileges than they actually do.
The attack vector is local, meaning the attacker must already have a user account on the targeted machine. The attack complexity is low, requiring no special conditions for stable exploitation. No user interaction is needed, and the scope remains unchanged. Upon successful exploitation, the attacker gains the ability to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, leading to full system compromise. The confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts are all rated as High.
The vulnerability is classified as High severity with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8. The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. It has been assigned CWE-290 (Authentication Bypass by Spoofing). The EPSS score is 0.13% with a percentile of approximately 3%, indicating relatively low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Dell addressed this issue in security update DSA-2026-320, released on August 10, 2026.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Windows
Version: <2.3.0.17
Vulnerability: Auth Bypass Spoofing
Severity: High (7.8)
date: 2026-08-12
Prediction: Patch already available
What Undercode Say:
Check DDPM version
wmic product where "name like 'Dell Display and Peripheral Manager%%'" get version
Alternative version check via registry
reg query "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" /s | findstr "DDPM"
Check installed version from file properties
dir "C:\Program Files\Dell\DDPM.exe" | findstr Version
Verify if system is vulnerable (version < 2.3.0.17)
$ddpmVersion = (Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\Software\Dell\DDPM" -Name "Version" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).Version
if ($ddpmVersion -lt "2.3.0.17") { Write-Host "VULNERABLE: CVE-2026-46731" }
EPSS probability score reference
echo "EPSS: 0.13% (3rd percentile) - Low exploitation probability"
Exploit: (Educational Purposes!)
- Gain local low-privileged access to target system running DDPM < 2.3.0.17
- Identify the authentication mechanism used by DDPM for privilege escalation
- Craft spoofed authentication tokens or manipulate authentication parameters
- Present spoofed credentials to DDPM’s privileged service interface
5. Bypass authentication checks due to improper validation
6. Execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM/Administrator privileges
7. Full system compromise achieved (C/I/A all High)
Protection:
- Upgrade DDPM Windows to version 2.3.0.17 or later immediately
- Apply Dell security update DSA-2026-320
- Download update from: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000490038
- Restrict local user privileges if patch cannot be applied immediately
- Monitor system logs for unauthorized account creation or privilege elevation
- Remove DDPM if not required
- Use strong authentication controls for all local accounts
Impact:
Successful exploitation allows a low-privileged local attacker to elevate privileges to full administrative control. The attacker can read all system data (Confidentiality High), modify or delete any data (Integrity High), and disrupt system availability (Availability High). This effectively results in complete system compromise. All Dell DDPM Windows installations with versions earlier than 2.3.0.17 are affected.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
Extra Source Hub:
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