CVE-2019-0145 in Ethernet 700 Series Controller
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in i40e driver for Intel(R) Ethernet 700 Series Controllers versions before 7.0 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable an escalation of privilege via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/14/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-0145 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the i40e driver component of Intel's Ethernet 700 Series Controllers. This issue affects systems running versions prior to 7.0 and creates a significant security risk for authenticated users who gain local access to affected systems. The buffer overflow occurs within the driver's handling of network packets, specifically when processing certain data structures that exceed allocated memory boundaries. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they can be exploited to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially leading to full system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within the i40e driver's packet processing routines. When the driver receives malformed network packets or data structures that exceed expected buffer sizes, it fails to properly bounds-check the incoming data before copying it into internal memory buffers. This classic buffer overflow condition allows an attacker with local authentication credentials to craft specific network traffic or manipulate driver operations to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The flaw falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and more broadly aligns with CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's exploitation requires local access and authentication, making it less immediately dangerous than remote exploits but still highly concerning for systems where local privilege escalation could lead to complete system takeover.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to enterprise networks and server environments where the affected Intel Ethernet 700 Series Controllers are deployed. The privilege escalation potential means that an attacker who has already gained local access to a system could leverage this flaw to elevate their privileges to system-level access, potentially enabling them to access sensitive data, modify system configurations, or establish persistent backdoors. This type of vulnerability is particularly concerning in multi-tenant environments or systems where users may have legitimate local access but should not possess administrative privileges. The attack surface is limited to systems running the vulnerable driver versions, but given the widespread deployment of Intel Ethernet controllers, the potential impact remains significant. According to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and local persistence, specifically covering T1068 for local privilege escalation and T1074 for data staging and T1543 for creating or modifying system-level persistence mechanisms.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by updating their Intel Ethernet 700 Series Controllers to driver version 7.0 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the buffer overflow condition. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring to detect unusual local access patterns or potential exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on memory access violations or unexpected privilege escalations. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive vulnerability scanning to identify all affected systems, followed by coordinated patch deployment across the enterprise infrastructure. Regular security assessments should verify that the updated drivers are properly installed and functioning correctly, while network segmentation and access controls should limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing endpoint detection and response solutions that can identify anomalous behavior patterns associated with privilege escalation attempts, as these systems may provide early warning of exploitation attempts before they can cause significant damage to the network infrastructure.