CVE-2017-5682 in PSET Application Install Wrapper
Summary
by MITRE
Intel PSET Application Install wrapper of Intel Parallel Studio XE, Intel System Studio, Intel VTune Amplifier, Intel Inspector, Intel Advisor, Intel MPI Library, Intel Trace Analyzer and Collector, Intel Integrated Performance Primitives, Cryptography for Intel Integrated Performance Primitives, Intel Math Kernel Library, Intel Data Analytics Acceleration Library, and Intel Threading Building Blocks before 2017 Update 2 allows an attacker to launch a process with escalated privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/01/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5682 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within the Intel PSET Application Install wrapper component that was present across multiple Intel development and performance analysis tools. This vulnerability affects a wide range of Intel software products including Parallel Studio XE, System Studio, VTune Amplifier, Inspector, Advisor, MPI Library, Trace Analyzer and Collector, Integrated Performance Primitives, Cryptography for Integrated Performance Primitives, Math Kernel Library, Data Analytics Acceleration Library, and Threading Building Blocks. The flaw specifically resides in how these applications handle process execution and privilege management during installation operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to elevate their privileges from standard user level to administrative or system level access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper privilege handling within the PSET wrapper mechanism that manages the installation process of Intel software packages. When users execute installation commands for these Intel applications, the wrapper component fails to properly validate or restrict the execution context of child processes it spawns. This weakness allows an attacker to manipulate the installation process in such a way that creates a privilege escalation scenario. The underlying flaw can be categorized under CWE-787, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities that can lead to privilege escalation, though in this case the mechanism operates through process execution rather than direct memory manipulation. The vulnerability essentially allows an unprivileged user to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, bypassing normal operating system security controls that typically prevent such privilege elevation.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant security risk to organizations that deploy Intel development and performance analysis tools across their infrastructure. Attackers who can exploit this vulnerability gain the ability to install malicious software, modify system files, access sensitive data, and potentially establish persistent backdoors within the compromised systems. The wide adoption of Intel's performance analysis and development tools across enterprise environments means that exploitation of this vulnerability could affect numerous systems simultaneously. The attack surface extends beyond individual machines to include development environments, testing labs, and production systems where these tools are commonly deployed. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques under tactic TA0004, specifically leveraging application installation processes as a means to gain elevated privileges. The vulnerability also aligns with techniques described in ATT&CK's T1055 category related to process injection and execution of malicious code with elevated privileges.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating all affected Intel products to version 2017 Update 2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the privilege escalation flaw. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as restricting user privileges during software installation processes, monitoring for unauthorized installation activities, and employing application whitelisting solutions to prevent execution of untrusted installation packages. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper privilege separation in software installation mechanisms and highlights the need for comprehensive security reviews of all application wrapper components that handle system-level operations. Regular security assessments of development and performance analysis tools are essential to identify similar privilege escalation vulnerabilities that may exist in other software components. Organizations should also consider network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability, particularly in environments where multiple users have access to systems running affected Intel software products.