CVE-2025-11178 is a local privilege escalation vulnerability identified in Acronis True Image for Windows, including its Western Digital and SanDisk branded variants. The root cause is DLL hijacking (CWE-427), where the software improperly loads a malicious DLL placed by an attacker in a location that is searched before the legitimate DLL. This allows an attacker with local access and limited privileges to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially gaining administrative control over the system. The vulnerability requires user interaction, such as running the affected software, and local access, which limits remote exploitation but still poses a significant risk in environments where users have limited privileges but run backup software. The CVSS 3.0 score of 7.3 reflects high severity due to the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, combined with low attack complexity and low privileges required. No public exploits have been reported yet, but the vulnerability is critical for organizations relying on Acronis True Image for backup and recovery, as attackers could leverage it to compromise backup integrity or disable recovery mechanisms. The affected builds are prior to 42386 for the standard product, 42636 for Western Digital, and 42679 for SanDisk versions. The vulnerability underscores the importance of secure DLL loading practices and proper privilege management in backup software.

For European organizations, this vulnerability could lead to unauthorized privilege escalation on endpoints running vulnerable versions of Acronis True Image, potentially allowing attackers to compromise backup data integrity, disable backup processes, or gain persistent administrative access. This could result in data loss, ransomware facilitation, or disruption of business continuity. Organizations in sectors with strict data protection requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, face heightened risks due to potential breaches of confidentiality and integrity. The local nature of the exploit means insider threats or malware with limited privileges could leverage this flaw to escalate privileges. Given the widespread use of Acronis True Image for backup across enterprises and SMBs in Europe, the impact could be significant if exploited, especially in environments where patching is delayed or where endpoint security controls are weak.

1. Apply patches or updates from Acronis as soon as they become available for the affected builds (42386, 42636, 42679). 2. Until patches are released, restrict write permissions on directories where Acronis True Image loads DLLs to prevent unauthorized DLL placement. 3. Implement application whitelisting and endpoint protection solutions that monitor or block unauthorized DLL loading. 4. Educate users to avoid running untrusted software or opening suspicious files that could facilitate local code execution. 5. Regularly audit and monitor systems for unusual privilege escalations or unexpected DLL loads related to Acronis processes. 6. Consider isolating backup software execution environments or using least privilege principles to limit potential damage. 7. Coordinate with IT and security teams to prioritize patching of backup software given its critical role in data protection.