DSA-2019-088: Dell SupportAssist Security Update for Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability-DSA

Summary: Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs and Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs has been updated to address a vulnerability, which may be potentially exploited to compromise the system.

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Impact

High

Details

Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs version 2.0 and Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs version 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3, 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.1, 3.2, and 3.2.1 contain an Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability. A malicious local user can exploit this vulnerability by inheriting a system thread using a leaked thread handle to gain system privileges on the affected machine.
Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs version 2.0 and Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs version 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3, 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.1, 3.2, and 3.2.1 contain an Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability. A malicious local user can exploit this vulnerability by inheriting a system thread using a leaked thread handle to gain system privileges on the affected machine.
Dell Technologies recommends all customers consider both the CVSS base score and any relevant temporal and environmental scores that may impact the potential severity associated with a particular security vulnerability.

Affected Products & Remediation

Affected Products: 

Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs version 2.0

Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs version 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3, 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.1, 3.2, and 3.2.1

Resolution: 

The following Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs and Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs release contains a resolution to this vulnerability:

  • Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs version 2.0.1
  • Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs version 3.2.2                                                                                               

Dell recommends all customers upgrade at the earliest opportunity.

Method 1: Auto Update

All versions of SupportAssist automatically upgrade to the latest version available, if automatic updates are enabled. Customers can also manually check and upgrade SupportAssist.

Method 2: Manual Update

Steps for a manual update of SupportAssist for Home PCs:

  1. Open SupportAssist.
  2. On the top-right corner of the SupportAssist window, click the settings icon, and then click ‘About SupportAssist’. SupportAssist will automatically check if a newer version of SupportAssist is available.
  • If no update is available, a message indicating that the latest version of SupportAssist is installed is displayed.
  • If a newer version of SupportAssist is available, the ‘Update Now’ link is displayed.
  1. Upon clicking Update Now, the latest version of SupportAssist is downloaded and installed on the system.

NOTE: For the manual update of SupportAssist for Business PCs, download and extract the SupportAssist installer package. Refer to Dell SupportAssist for PCs and Tablets Deployment Guide for Managing Business Systems for deployment instructions.

Please visit https://www.dell.com/support/home?app=drivers for updates on the applicable products.

Customers may use one of the Dell notification solutions to be notified and download driver, BIOS and firmware updates automatically once available.


 

Affected Products: 

Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs version 2.0

Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs version 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3, 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.1, 3.2, and 3.2.1

Resolution: 

The following Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs and Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs release contains a resolution to this vulnerability:

  • Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs version 2.0.1
  • Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs version 3.2.2                                                                                               

Dell recommends all customers upgrade at the earliest opportunity.

Method 1: Auto Update

All versions of SupportAssist automatically upgrade to the latest version available, if automatic updates are enabled. Customers can also manually check and upgrade SupportAssist.

Method 2: Manual Update

Steps for a manual update of SupportAssist for Home PCs:

  1. Open SupportAssist.
  2. On the top-right corner of the SupportAssist window, click the settings icon, and then click ‘About SupportAssist’. SupportAssist will automatically check if a newer version of SupportAssist is available.
  • If no update is available, a message indicating that the latest version of SupportAssist is installed is displayed.
  • If a newer version of SupportAssist is available, the ‘Update Now’ link is displayed.
  1. Upon clicking Update Now, the latest version of SupportAssist is downloaded and installed on the system.

NOTE: For the manual update of SupportAssist for Business PCs, download and extract the SupportAssist installer package. Refer to Dell SupportAssist for PCs and Tablets Deployment Guide for Managing Business Systems for deployment instructions.

Please visit https://www.dell.com/support/home?app=drivers for updates on the applicable products.

Customers may use one of the Dell notification solutions to be notified and download driver, BIOS and firmware updates automatically once available.


 

Acknowledgements

Dell would like to thank Bill Demirkapi for reporting this vulnerability.

Related Information

Dell Security Advisories and Notices
Dell Vulnerability Response Policy
CVSS Scoring Guide

Legal Disclaimer

Affected Products

SupportAssist for Home PCs, SupportAssist for Business PCs
Article Properties
Article Number: 000180563
Article Type: Dell Security Advisory
Last Modified: 19 Sept 2025
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