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Rtsupx Usb Utility DriverApplication · Realtek

CVE-2021-36925

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-11-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.14.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
RtsUpx.sys in Realtek RtsUpx USB Utility Driver for Camera/Hub/Audio through 1.14.0.0 allows local low-privileged users to achieve an arbitrary read or write operation from/to physical memory (leading to Escalation of Privileges, Denial of Service, Code Execution, and Information Disclosure) via a crafted Device IO Control packet to a device.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

RtsUpx.sys kernel driver in Realtek USB utility (Camera/Hub/Audio) versions through 1.14.0.0 contains a vulnerability allowing low-privileged local users to perform arbitrary read/write operations to physical memory via specially crafted Device IO Control (IOCTL) packets, enabling privilege escalation to SYSTEM level.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied driver update (version >1.14.0.0) to replace the vulnerable RtsUpx.sys driver; if the device is unnecessary, disable or remove the driver to eliminate the attack surface.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Rtsupx Usb Utility DriverApplication
Affected:<= 1.14.0.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate the RtsUpx.sys driver file
    Search for the driver file on the system. Common paths: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\RtsUpx.sys or C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\*\RtsUpx.sys. Use: Get-ChildItem -Path C:\ -Recurse -Filter RtsUpx.sys -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Affected if The file exists on the system, indicating the driver is installed
  2. Check the installed driver version
    Right-click the RtsUpx.sys file, select Properties, then view the Details tab to see the File Version. Alternatively, use PowerShell: (Get-Item 'C:\Windows\System32\drivers\RtsUpx.sys').VersionInfo.FileVersion
    Affected if The version displayed is 1.14.0.0 or lower
  3. Verify if the driver is currently loaded
    Open an elevated command prompt or PowerShell and run: sc query RtsUpx or Get-Service -Name RtsUpx* -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue. Also check loaded drivers with: driverquery /v | findstr RtsUpx
    Affected if The driver shows as RUNNING or LOADED in the service status or driver query output
  4. Check for the exposed device interface
    Open an elevated command prompt and run: winobj or use PowerShell with WMI to query for device objects. Look for Device namespace entries starting with RtsUpx or RTS. Alternatively, check registry under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ for RtsUpx entries
    Affected if The driver service entry exists in the registry or the device object is visible in kernel object manager
  5. Confirm USB device detection using the utility
    Open Device Manager and look under Universal Serial Bus controllers or Imaging devices for Realtek USB devices (Camera, Hub, Audio) that may use this driver. Run: pnputil /enum-drivers to list installed driver packages
    Affected if Realtek USB devices using the RtsUpx driver are present and detected by Windows

A user is affected if the RtsUpx.sys driver file exists on their system with version 1.14.0.0 or lower and the driver is installed or loaded, enabling the vulnerable IOCTL interface for privilege escalation.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.14.0.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied driver update (version >1.14.0.0) to replace the vulnerable RtsUpx.sys driver; if the device is unnecessary, disable or remove the driver to eliminate the attack surface.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Newer version of Realtek RtsUpx USB Utility Driver (contact Realtek for specific fixed version)

  1. Identify the exact version of RtsUpx.sys currently installed on the system
  2. Contact Realtek directly or visit the official Realtek support website (www.realtek.com) to obtain the latest version of the RtsUpx USB Utility Driver
  3. Ensure the driver update is obtained from an official Realtek source to avoid counterfeit or malicious versions
  4. Apply the driver update following Realtek's provided installation instructions
  5. Verify the driver version after installation to confirm the update was successful
  6. Reboot the system if required by the driver installation
Caveat Driver updates may require system reboot; ensure compatibility with other installed hardware drivers before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Rtsupx Usb Utility Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-36925 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data