CVE-2019-0126 in Xeon
Summary
by MITRE
Insufficient access control in silicon reference firmware for Intel(R) Xeon(R) Scalable Processor, Intel(R) Xeon(R) Processor D Family may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege and/or denial of service via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-0126 resides within the silicon reference firmware of Intel Xeon Scalable Processors and Intel Xeon Processor D Family, representing a critical weakness in the hardware's foundational security architecture. This flaw manifests as insufficient access control mechanisms that are designed to protect sensitive system resources and privileged operations. The vulnerability specifically affects the processor's firmware implementation, which operates at the most fundamental level of system security and control, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by users who already possess some level of system privileges.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate privilege separation within the firmware's access control model, allowing a malicious user with existing system access to potentially escalate their privileges beyond what should be permitted. This occurs through the exploitation of improper access control checks that should normally prevent unauthorized elevation of privileges. The flaw enables attackers to manipulate system resources that should be restricted to privileged operations only, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability requires local access to exploit, meaning an attacker must already have some level of system presence or access to the target machine, but this initial access can then be leveraged to gain higher privileges.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to system integrity and availability, as it can enable both privilege escalation and potential denial of service conditions. The ability to escalate privileges means that an attacker who initially gains access to a system could potentially achieve administrative or root-level control, undermining the entire security model of the system. Additionally, the potential for denial of service attacks could disrupt normal system operations, affecting availability for legitimate users and potentially causing system instability. The impact extends beyond individual systems to enterprise environments where these processors are widely deployed, as the vulnerability could affect entire server farms or data center infrastructures.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation'. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates from Intel, which address the specific access control implementation issues within the processor's silicon reference firmware. System administrators should also conduct thorough access control reviews and ensure that all system users maintain only the minimum necessary privileges. Additionally, monitoring for suspicious privilege escalation attempts and implementing robust system integrity checking mechanisms can help detect exploitation attempts. The remediation process requires careful consideration of firmware update schedules to avoid service disruptions while ensuring complete protection against this vulnerability.