CVE-2018-3670 in Smart Sound Technology
Summary
by MITRE
Driver module in Intel Smart Sound Technology before version 9.21.00.3541 potentially allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code as administrator via a non-paged pool overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/12/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-3670 resides within Intel Smart Sound Technology driver modules, specifically affecting versions prior to 9.21.00.3541. This issue represents a critical security flaw that enables local attackers to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code with administrator-level permissions. The vulnerability manifests through a non-paged pool overflow condition that occurs within the kernel-mode driver components responsible for managing audio processing tasks in Intel's Smart Sound Technology framework.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages a buffer overflow in the non-paged pool memory area, which is a critical kernel memory segment that must remain resident in physical memory at all times. This particular flaw falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, though the specific implementation involves heap memory management within kernel space. The overflow occurs when the driver processes malformed input data through its audio processing pipeline, allowing an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory locations in the kernel's non-paged pool. This memory corruption can be manipulated to redirect execution flow, effectively enabling privilege escalation from standard user context to kernel-level administrator privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with complete control over the affected system's audio subsystem and potentially broader system access. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to install persistent backdoors, modify system files, disable security mechanisms, or extract sensitive information from the system. The attack vector requires local system access, making it particularly concerning for environments where user accounts may be compromised through social engineering or other means. The vulnerability's exploitation is facilitated by the fact that Intel Smart Sound Technology is widely deployed across various laptop and desktop platforms, creating a broad attack surface for potential exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-3670 primarily focus on updating to the patched version of Intel Smart Sound Technology drivers, specifically version 9.21.00.3541 or later. System administrators should prioritize patch deployment across all affected systems and verify that the updated drivers are properly installed and functioning. Additional protective measures include implementing least privilege principles to limit user access rights, monitoring for suspicious system behavior, and applying kernel patch management solutions that can provide additional layers of protection against kernel-level exploits. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date device drivers and highlights the risks associated with kernel-mode vulnerabilities that can be exploited for privilege escalation. Organizations should also consider implementing runtime protection mechanisms such as kernel patch protection and exploit prevention software to defend against similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other kernel-mode components. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which describes exploit for privilege escalation, and specifically demonstrates how kernel-level buffer overflows can be leveraged for system compromise.