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Computing


YOU CAN GAIN ADMIN PRIVILEGES TO ANY WINDOWS MACHINE BY PLUGGING IN A RAZER
MOUSE


IS IT AN INTERESTING SECURITY HACK, OR A PSA TO KEEP YOUR COMPUTER SAFE? (IT'S
BOTH.)

By
Jake Peterson

Yesterday 12:00PM

Comments (61)
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Photo: Syafiq Adnan (Shutterstock)


Not all users are equal in Windows. Without administrator access, you can use
the computer, but you aren’t allowed to install certain apps or perform
commands, and you’re generally blocked from full control of the machine. But
right now, you can grant yourself SYSTEM privileges on any Windows 10 machine
simply by plugging in a Razer keyboard or mouse. That seems... bad.


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Usually, different “user rights” are a good thing for Windows. It protects your
system from people who would abuse those privileges, either nefariously or not.
When you have admin—or SYSTEM—privileges, you are in total control over Windows,
so it can be dangerous to give that power to just anyone.

The idea that plugging in the right mouse could give you total control over a
computer sounds more unrealistic than a TV hacker, but it’s true. When you plug
in one of these Razer peripherals, Windows will automatically download Razer
Synapse, the software that controls certain settings for your mouse or keyboard.
Said Razer software has SYSTEM privileges, since it launches from a Windows
process with SYSTEM privileges.





But that’s not where the vulnerability comes into play. Once you install the
software, Windows’ setup wizard asks which folder you’d like to save it to. When
you choose a new location for the folder, you’ll see a “Choose a Folder” prompt.
Press Shift and right-click on that, and you can choose “Open PowerShell window
here,” which will open a new PowerShell window.



Because this PowerShell window was launched from a process with SYSTEM
privileges, the PowerShell window itself now has SYSTEM privileges. In effect,
you’ve turned yourself into an admin on the machine, able to perform any command
you can think of in the PowerShell window.

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This vulnerability was first brought to light on Twitter by user jonhat, who
tried contacting Razer about it first, to no avail. Razer did eventually follow
up, confirming a patch is in the works. Until that patch is available, however,
the company is inadvertently selling tools that make it easy to hack millions of
computers.


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HOW TO PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER FROM RAZER’S VULNERABILITY

While the best fix is to wait for Razer to patch this bug on their end, we don’t
know how long that’ll take. If you want to protect your computer from the
machinations of Razer peripheral-wielding potential hackers right now, you can
disable your computer’s USB ports.

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Now, not everyone should do this. If you need your USB ports for your mouse,
keyboard, or other essential peripherals, then you shouldn’t disable those
ports. If your PC supports Bluetooth mice and keyboards, or if you use a laptop,
this method is safer for you to use.



There are various (and complicated) ways to do this, but the easiest place to
start is via Device Manager. Right-click on “This PC,” then click “Manage.”
Click “Device Manager,” then click the arrow next to Universal Serial Bus
controllers. Here you will find all of your computer’s USB controllers. You can
right-click on these items and choose “Disable” to disable them.

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When you’re ready to reenable your USB ports, you can follow these same
instructions and choose “Enable” instead. Just remember: this exploit requires
someone to physically connect their Razer mouse to your PC, so unless you often
leave your computer out in the open, the risk to your machine is low.

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This article was edited on Aug. 24 at 10:28 a.m. to add context about disabling
USB ports on your PC.

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TechComputing



DISCUSSION

By
wkiernan

Am I correct in saying this hack can only work if the person is physically next
to the computer?  Or is there any way to exploit it remotely?


See all 61 comments


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