CVE-2017-5689 in MICROS Workstation 650
Summary
by MITRE
An unprivileged network attacker could gain system privileges to provisioned Intel manageability SKUs: Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) and Intel Standard Manageability (ISM). An unprivileged local attacker could provision manageability features gaining unprivileged network or local system privileges on Intel manageability SKUs: Intel Active Management Technology (AMT), Intel Standard Manageability (ISM), and Intel Small Business Technology (SBT).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/28/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5689 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw affecting Intel manageability technologies including Active Management Technology AMT, Standard Manageability ISM, and Small Business Technology SBT. This vulnerability exists within the Intel management engine firmware and affects systems where these manageability features have been provisioned, creating a significant security risk for enterprise environments that rely on these remote management capabilities. The flaw allows attackers to exploit weaknesses in the provisioning mechanisms of Intel's manageability infrastructure, potentially enabling unauthorized access to systems that would normally require administrative privileges to control.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and privilege validation mechanisms within the Intel management engine firmware components. Attackers can leverage this weakness to provision manageability features without proper authorization, effectively bypassing normal security boundaries that should prevent unauthorized access to system management interfaces. The vulnerability specifically targets the provisioning processes that enable remote management capabilities, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to management functions that should only be available to authorized administrators. This issue falls under CWE-284 which describes improper access control vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers local privilege escalation through exploitation of system vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-5689 is severe for organizations deploying Intel manageability technologies, as it can enable attackers to gain complete control over affected systems. Both remote and local attack vectors are possible, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous since it can be exploited from outside the network perimeter or from within a compromised local system. Once exploited, attackers can access the full range of management capabilities provided by Intel AMT, ISM, and SBT, including remote system control, data exfiltration, and persistent access to target environments. This vulnerability essentially provides attackers with a backdoor into enterprise systems that are typically considered secure due to their management capabilities, creating a significant risk for organizations with extensive deployments of Intel manageability features.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-5689 should focus on both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening measures. Organizations should apply the latest firmware updates from Intel that address the privilege escalation vulnerability, ensuring that all affected systems receive proper patching. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of management interfaces to trusted networks only, while disabling unnecessary management features when they are not required for operations. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual provisioning activities or unauthorized access attempts to management interfaces. Additionally, organizations should implement principle of least privilege controls for management access, regularly review and audit management feature configurations, and consider disabling Intel manageability features entirely if they are not essential for business operations. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of securing firmware-level components and highlights the need for comprehensive security assessments of embedded systems and management engines that operate below the operating system level.