Uncontrolled Search Path (DLL Hijack)Weakness · CWE-427

CVE-2026-5397

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-04-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
It has been identified that a vulnerability (CWE-427) exists in the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) management application, whereby improper permissions on the installation directory allow a malicious actor to place a DLL that is then executed with administrator privileges. If a malicious DLL is placed in the installation directory of this product, there is a possibility that the malicious DLL may be executed by exploiting the product’s behavior of loading missing DLLs from the same directory as the executable during service startup.

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

A DLL hijacking vulnerability (CWE-427) exists in the UPS management application where improper permissions on the installation directory allow an attacker to plant a malicious DLL. When the service starts, it loads missing DLLs from the same directory as the executable, causing the malicious DLL to execute with administrator privileges.

MitigationRestrict write permissions on the UPS management application installation directory to prevent unauthorized DLL planting. Additionally, implement secure DLL loading practices such as using full absolute paths, DLL search path elimination, or DLL signature verification.

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

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
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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. Identify UPS management application installation
    Locate the UPS management application on the system and determine its installed version. Common installation paths include C:\Program Files\, C:\Program Files (x86)\, or vendor-specific directories. Use system inventory tools or check Add/Remove Programs for UPS-related software.
    Affected if Application is present but version cannot be compared to a fixed patched version due to no CVE-specific CPE data - vulnerability exists in unpatched releases of affected UPS management software.
  2. Verify installation directory permissions
    Right-click the UPS management application installation folder, select Properties, then Security tab. Check which users and groups have Write or Modify permissions. Use command-line: icacls "<installation_path>" to enumerate permissions.
    Affected if Users other than Administrators or SYSTEM have Write or Modify permissions on the installation directory, allowing unauthorized DLL planting.
  3. Check for unexpected DLL files
    List all DLL files in the UPS management application installation directory. Compare against expected DLLs for that application. Use: dir "<installation_path>\*.dll"
    Affected if Unexpected or suspicious DLL files are present in the installation directory that do not belong to the application.
  4. Identify related Windows service
    Find the Windows service associated with the UPS management application. Use Services.msc or: sc queryex type= service state= all | findstr /i "ups"
    Affected if A Windows service for the UPS management application runs with elevated privileges (LocalSystem, Local Service, or Administrator account).

The environment is affected if the UPS management application is installed with a weak permissions configuration that allows unprivileged users to write to the installation directory, combined with a service running with elevated privileges that could load a malicious DLL.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Restrict write permissions on the UPS management application installation directory to prevent unauthorized DLL planting. Additionally, implement secure DLL loading practices such as using full absolute paths, DLL search path elimination, or DLL signature verification.

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2026-5397 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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