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CVE-2024-20671 is a security feature bypass affecting Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Windows. The issue is associated with the product’s reliance on predictable user-mode inter-process communication objects, specifically ALPC ports, during startup. A low-privileged local user can pre-create or pre-register the IPC object name before the Defender component initializes after reboot, causing the affected user-mode security component to fail to start or enter a non-functional state. The underlying weakness is a startup race and object-name collision condition in which the product does not safely recover when the expected IPC endpoint already exists. This can disable or materially degrade Defender for Endpoint functionality without requiring kernel compromise.
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1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.
This repository is a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) exploit demonstrating a Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability affecting several Windows EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) agents, including Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR (Traps). The exploit works by registering a specific ALPC (Advanced Local Procedure Call) port in the Windows Object Manager namespace (\\RPC Control\\Palo-Alto-Networks-Traps-DB-Rpc) before the EDR agent initializes. If the EDR agent attempts to create or access this IPC object and finds it already registered, its user-mode components crash, effectively disabling the EDR protection until the next reboot. The exploit is implemented in a single C++ file (ALPC-Block-POC.cpp) and is intended to be run as a low-privileged user during early system startup, such as via a scheduled task. The README provides detailed background, usage instructions, and references to relevant CVEs. No network endpoints are involved; the attack vector is local, targeting the Windows IPC mechanism. The repository is structured as a Visual Studio C++ project with supporting solution and configuration files.
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3 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
A Microsoft Defender for Endpoint denial-of-service vulnerability tied to the same ALPC/object namespace blocking issue, allowing a low-privileged user to interfere with EDR initialization after reboot.
A security feature bypass vulnerability in Microsoft Defender patched in March 2024.
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Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
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Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.