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Security firm Kaspersky has announced PhantomRPC, a vulnerability affecting Windows Remote Procedure Call (RPC). Kaspersky said the flaw is not caused by a single bug, but by how Windows operates, enabling attackers to gain system privileges on a device. If a process has impersonation rights, an attacker can use PhantomRPC to obtain full system control.
Kaspersky analyzed five exploitation scenarios in which attackers could escalate access from local services or network-connected services to higher privilege levels. In the most severe cases, this could allow attackers to take control of the entire system.
Because the issue is rooted in a design weakness, Kaspersky said it can create “nearly countless” attack vectors. Any new process or service that uses RPC could potentially become an additional entry point for expanding access.
Haidar Kabibo, a security applications specialist at Kaspersky, said exploitation details may vary depending on the specific system. Factors include installed software, the dynamic-link libraries involved in RPC communication, and whether the relevant RPC servers are available.
Kaspersky described RPC as a core mechanism within Windows inter-process communication. It enables processes to communicate and perform functions even when they run in separate environments, and it underpins higher-level communication technologies.
Kabibo said the vulnerability is a critical factor in risk assessment and response planning. He noted that the practical impact depends on how RPC is used across the environment and which components are exposed to potential abuse.
Kaspersky recommended that organizations implement measures to detect and mitigate exploitation risk, including:
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