# CVE-2026-102438: An uncontrolled search path element vulnerability in ASUS Armoury Crate allows local users to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges


- **Severity:** High 8.5 (`CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 20 Oct 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-978r-3cgq-4j3w

## What is CVE-2026-102438?

CVE-2026-102438 is a high-severity vulnerability in ASUS Armoury Crate, published on 20 Oct 2026. 

### Official description

An uncontrolled search path element vulnerability in ASUS Armoury Crate allows local users to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges via replacement of a dynamic-link library (DLL) that is later loaded by a high-privilege process.
Refer to the '
Security Update for Armoury Crate App ' section on the ASUS Security Advisory for more information.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-102438?


## How do I fix CVE-2026-102438?

No fix has been published for CVE-2026-102438 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2026-102438 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-102438 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2026-102438 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2026-102438 is a high-severity vulnerability in ASUS Armoury Crate, published on 20 Oct 2026. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-102438 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: ASUS Armoury Crate. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-102438/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-102438/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-102438
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-102438
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2026-102438

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-102438/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.