CVE-2018-16713 in Advanced SystemCare
Summary
by MITRE
IObit Advanced SystemCare, which includes Monitor_win10_x64.sys or Monitor_win7_x64.sys, 1.2.0.5 (and possibly earlier versions) allows a user to send an IOCTL (0x9C402084) with a buffer containing user defined content. The driver's subroutine will execute a rdmsr instruction with the user's buffer for input, and provide output from the instruction.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2020
This vulnerability exists in IObit Advanced SystemCare's kernel-mode driver components Monitor_win10_x64.sys and Monitor_win7_x64.sys version 1.2.0.5 and potentially earlier versions. The flaw manifests through an improperly validated IOCTL (0x9C402084) handler that accepts user-supplied buffer data and directly passes it to the rdmsr instruction without adequate input validation or sanitization. This represents a critical security weakness that violates fundamental principles of kernel-mode security and privilege separation. The driver's subroutine executes the rdmsr instruction using user-controlled data as input parameters, creating an avenue for arbitrary hardware register access that could be exploited to extract sensitive system information or potentially manipulate system behavior.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under CWE-122, which describes "Heap-based Buffer Overflow" and CWE-248, "Uncaught Exception," as the driver fails to properly validate user input before executing privileged instructions. The rdmsr instruction is a privileged x86 instruction designed to read model-specific registers that contain critical system information including processor state, performance counters, and security-related configuration data. When user-supplied data is passed directly to this instruction, it creates a potential for information disclosure and privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at kernel level where malicious actors could leverage this to read sensitive system registers that might contain cryptographic keys, memory layout information, or other confidential data.
Operationally, this vulnerability poses significant risks to system security and stability. Attackers could potentially use this flaw to extract hardware-specific information that could aid in further exploitation attempts or to understand system configurations. The ability to execute rdmsr with arbitrary input parameters opens possibilities for information gathering that could be used in conjunction with other vulnerabilities to achieve more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability could be exploited by local users or potentially remote attackers depending on the privilege model of the affected system, making it a serious concern for enterprise environments where system integrity is paramount. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.003 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: Windows Command Shell) and T1068 (Exploitation for Privilege Escalation) as attackers could leverage the driver to escalate privileges and execute malicious code with kernel-level privileges.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate driver updates from IObit to address the flawed IOCTL handler implementation and proper input validation. System administrators should implement strict driver signing requirements and disable unnecessary kernel-mode drivers to reduce attack surface. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper kernel-mode security practices including input validation, privilege separation, and secure coding practices for device drivers. Organizations should consider implementing runtime monitoring for suspicious kernel-mode activities and establish robust patch management processes to ensure timely remediation of such vulnerabilities. Additionally, the use of exploit protection mechanisms and kernel-mode protection features available in modern operating systems should be enabled to provide additional layers of defense against such low-level exploitation techniques.