CVE-2020-13532
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Dream Report 5 R20-2 where attackers can replace the Syncfusion Dashboard Service binary with a malicious file. This allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges to NT SYSTEM level. Organizations using Dream Report 5 R20-2 in default configuration are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Dream Report 5
📦 What is this software?
Dream Report by Dreamreport
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with SYSTEM privileges, enabling installation of persistent malware, credential theft, and lateral movement across the network.
Likely Case
Local authenticated attackers gain SYSTEM privileges to install additional malware, disable security controls, or access sensitive system resources.
If Mitigated
Attackers remain at user-level privileges with limited access to system resources and configuration.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires replacing a service binary, which is straightforward for attackers with write access to the installation directory.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: R20-3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2020-1146
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Dream Report 5 R20-3 or later from official vendor sources. 2. Backup existing configurations. 3. Install the updated version. 4. Restart affected systems.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Service Binary Permissions
windowsSet strict file permissions on the Syncfusion Dashboard Service binary to prevent unauthorized modifications.
icacls "C:\Program Files\Dream Report\SyncfusionDashboardService.exe" /inheritance:r
icacls "C:\Program Files\Dream Report\SyncfusionDashboardService.exe" /grant:r "SYSTEM:(F)" "Administrators:(F)"
Monitor Binary Changes
windowsImplement file integrity monitoring on the service binary to detect unauthorized modifications.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit who can modify files in the Dream Report installation directory
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious service binary modifications
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Dream Report version via Help > About in the application or examine installed programs in Control Panel for version R20-2.Check Version:
wmic product where "name like '%Dream Report%'" get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installation of Dream Report 5 R20-3 or later and confirm file permissions on SyncfusionDashboardService.exe restrict write access to administrators only.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing unexpected service binary modifications (Event ID 4663)
- Application logs showing service restarts or failures
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from the Dream Report service
- SMB/NTLM authentication attempts from SYSTEM context
SIEM Query:
source="windows_security" EventID=4663 ObjectName="*SyncfusionDashboardService.exe*"