CVE-2006-7215 in X6800
Summary
by MITRE
The Intel Core 2 Extreme processor X6800 and Core 2 Duo desktop processor E6000 and E4000 incorrectly set the memory page Access (A) bit for a page in certain circumstances involving proximity of the code segment limit to the end of a code page, which has unknown impact and attack vectors on certain operating systems other than OpenBSD, aka AI90.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/26/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-7215 represents a critical memory management flaw in Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 and Core 2 Duo E6000/E4000 processors that manifests through improper handling of memory page access bits. This issue specifically affects the processor's handling of the Access (A) bit within page table entries when code segment limits approach the boundary of code pages, creating a condition where memory access permissions are not correctly maintained. The vulnerability operates at the hardware level within the processor's memory management unit, making it particularly concerning as it can bypass traditional software-based memory protection mechanisms. The flaw was categorized under the broader class of memory management errors that can lead to privilege escalation and unauthorized memory access, with the specific designation AI90 indicating its classification within Intel's internal vulnerability tracking system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the processor's handling of memory page boundaries and segment limit calculations during memory access operations. When code segments approach the end of memory pages, the processor fails to properly set or clear the Access bit in page table entries, which controls whether a page has been accessed. This malfunction creates potential security holes where malicious code could exploit the inconsistent memory access tracking to gain unauthorized access to protected memory regions or manipulate memory access patterns in ways that should be prevented by standard memory management protocols. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it operates below the operating system level, making it difficult to detect through conventional software security measures and potentially affecting multiple operating systems beyond OpenBSD as noted in the original description.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across various computing environments where affected Intel processors are deployed, particularly in enterprise and desktop computing scenarios. The unknown attack vectors and impact levels present significant challenges for system administrators and security professionals, as the vulnerability could potentially be exploited to perform privilege escalation attacks, memory corruption, or unauthorized data access. The vulnerability's presence in processors from the Core 2 generation means that systems deployed in critical infrastructure, financial services, government agencies, and enterprise environments could be at risk. The issue's classification as a hardware-level flaw means that traditional software patches cannot address the root cause, requiring either processor microcode updates or hardware replacement to fully resolve the security concern. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-119, which addresses memory safety issues, and could potentially map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and memory manipulation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-7215 focus on both hardware and software approaches, though the fundamental nature of the vulnerability limits the effectiveness of software-only solutions. The primary mitigation involves implementing processor microcode updates from Intel that address the memory management unit behavior, though these updates must be carefully tested to ensure compatibility with existing systems. System administrators should also consider implementing additional memory protection mechanisms at the operating system level, including enhanced memory access controls and monitoring for anomalous memory access patterns. Organizations running affected systems should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify potential exploitation risks and consider temporary workarounds such as limiting code execution in memory-sensitive environments. The vulnerability's classification as a hardware-level flaw makes it particularly challenging to address, requiring careful coordination between hardware vendors, operating system vendors, and security teams to ensure comprehensive protection. Regular monitoring for similar vulnerabilities in processor architectures and maintaining updated security patches remains essential for protecting against future exploits that may leverage similar memory management flaws.