CVE-2026-80114: Use of Hard-coded Cryptographic Key in PassMark Software PerformanceTest

This vulnerability arises from the presence of a hard-coded 8-byte cryptographic key embedded as a literal in the DirectIo64.sys driver binary distributed with PassMark PerformanceTest (before 11.1 build 1012), BurnInTest (before 11.1 build 1000), and OSForensics (before 11.1 build 1016). Local attackers can extract this key to generate valid MD5 authentication tags, allowing them to send arbitrary IOCTL write requests that the driver accepts. Furthermore, the driver includes a secondary validation gate that can be bypassed by using its own bit-clear IOCTL to clear a specific bit in the gating instruction's displacement byte. This bypass disables all subsequent integrity checks including MAC verification, size validation, and Vendor ID verification, enabling unrestricted physical memory writes.

Successful exploitation allows a local attacker to write arbitrary data to physical memory, potentially leading to privilege escalation, system compromise, or bypass of security controls. The vulnerability affects the integrity and security of the affected systems by permitting unauthorized memory modifications. The CVSS 4.0 base score of 8.5 indicates a high severity with local attack vector, low attack complexity, no user interaction, and high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

No patch or official fix information is provided in the available data. Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. Until a fix is available, restrict local access to trusted users only and monitor for suspicious use of IOCTL calls related to DirectIo64.sys. Avoid running vulnerable versions in untrusted environments.