AppLocker traditionally works by giving system administrators the ability to customize what software a user is and isn’t allowed to install – essentially white-listing and black-listing various applications. However what Smith has discovered is a way to get around that entirely.
The exploit involves using the regsvr32 command-line utility, to point to a remotely hosted file instead. It essentially lets users install or run any application you want, essentially bypassing the entire AppLocker protection system.
Related: Don’t want anything to do with Windows 10? Here’s how to banish it for good
No registry changes are involved and as CSOOnline points out, the lack of administrative privileges needed to make this work, means that someone at a company could use this loophole without anyone knowing, essentially giving them free reign on an internal network. That’s particularly dangerous for some organisations.
Microsoft has yet to comment or release an official patch for the bug, but sage advice suggests using Windows Firewall to block regsvr32 from running, thereby making it so that the file that makes all this possible isn’t accessible. There may be a workaround for that, but for system administrators worried that workers will find news of this bug and begin exploiting it, it might not be a bad idea to put that stopgap solution in place.
If you’d prefer a ready made solution, there is some suggestion that the Windows built-in Device Guard, when fully enabled with script protection, does prevent this exploit from being used, though how permanent a solution that is remains to be seen.
Editors' Recommendations
- Updating to Windows 11 might break the Taskbar and Start Menu
- Best Windows apps for 2021
- How to uninstall apps from Windows 11
- Windows 10 vs. MacOS vs. Chrome OS
- Alt+Tab broken by Windows 10 update? Here’s how to fix it
