Privilege escalation in Intel BSSA DFT feature

1) Insecure default variable initialization

EUVDB-ID: #VU54833

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 7.7 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2021-0144

CWE-ID: CWE-453 - Insecure Default Variable Initialization

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to insecure default variable initialization for the Intel BSSA DFT feature. A local user can run a specially crafted program to execute arbitrary code on the system with elevated privileges.

Mitigation

Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

2nd Generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors: All versions

Intel Xeon Scalable Processors: All versions

Intel Core X-series Processors: All versions

Intel Xeon W Processors: All versions

Intel Xeon D Processors: All versions

Intel Xeon Processor E5 v3 Family: All versions

Intel Xeon Processor E5 v4 Family: All versions

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:h:intel:2nd_generation_intel_xeon_scalable_processors:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:intel:intel_xeon_scalable_processors:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:intel:intel_core_x-series_processors:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:intel:intel_xeon_w_processors:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:intel:intel_xeon_d_processors:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:intel:intel_xeon_processor_e5_v3_family:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:h:intel:intel_xeon_processor_e5_v4_family:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00525.html

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.