VU#687587: AOMEI Backupper amwrtdrv.sys local privilege escalation vulnerability allows arbitrary writes to physical disks
AOMEI Backupper 8.4.0 driver flaw CVE-2026-12780 lets unprivileged users write physical disks and execute UEFI code, bypassing HVCI and EDR.
CERT/CC issued VU#687587 for CVE-2026-12780, an incorrect permission assignment (CWE-732) in the amwrtdrv.sys kernel driver shipped with AOMEI Backupper 8.4.0. The driver exposes a world-accessible device object without a security descriptor, allowing any unprivileged user to write arbitrary physical disk sectors; with Secure Boot disabled, an attacker can modify the GPT and inject a UEFI payload that executes before the OS loads, bypassing HVCI, EDR, Windows Defender and Hyper-V isolation. On TPM-only BitLocker configurations the attack can capture Volume Master Key material during pre-boot. AOMEI has shipped patches; users who cannot update should uninstall the software or disable the amwrtdrv.sys service, and enabling Secure Boot adds defense in depth.
- CVE-2026-12780 (CWE-732) affects the amwrtdrv.sys kernel driver in AOMEI Backupper 8.4.0.
- World-accessible device object without security descriptor permits arbitrary physical disk writes.
- UEFI payload injection via pre-partition gap and GPT modification bypasses HVCI, EDR and Defender.
- Evil maid attacks can capture BitLocker VMK keys on TPM-only configurations.
- Mitigations include updating, uninstalling, disabling the driver service, or enabling Secure Boot.
- CVEs
- CVE-2026-12780
- Products
- AOMEI Backupperamwrtdrv.sys
- Organizations
- CERT/CC
Vulnerabilities mentioned
All| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Signals | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2026-12780 | A vulnerability was determined in AOMEI Backupper up to 8.3.0 | 7.1 | <1% |
From the original article
2 min read at kb.cert.orgOverview An incorrect permissions assignment vulnerability in the amwrtdrv. sys kernel driver, included with AOMEI Backupper 8. 4.
kb.cert.org
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