CVE-2019-14556 in Intel
Summary
by MITRE • 10/05/2020
Improper initialization in BIOS firmware for 8th, 9th, 10th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM), Intel(R) Celeron(R) Processor 4000 & 5000 Series Processors may allow a privileged user to potentially enable denial of service via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/16/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-14556 represents a critical flaw in the BIOS firmware initialization process affecting Intel processors from the 8th through 10th generation, including the Celeron 4000 and 5000 series. This issue stems from improper initialization of system components during the firmware boot sequence, creating potential security risks that could be exploited by privileged users with local access to the affected systems. The flaw specifically impacts the firmware's ability to properly establish secure initialization states for processor components, potentially undermining the integrity of the system's boot process and overall security posture.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves weaknesses in the BIOS firmware initialization routines that fail to properly configure or validate critical system registers and memory mappings during the early boot stages. When the processor firmware fails to initialize these components correctly, it creates inconsistent states that could be manipulated by an attacker with local administrative privileges to disrupt normal system operations. This improper initialization affects the processor's ability to maintain secure execution environments and can potentially allow for privilege escalation or denial of service conditions that persist throughout the system lifecycle.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to enterprise and government environments where privileged users may have physical or administrative access to affected systems. The local access requirement means that exploitation typically requires someone with legitimate administrative credentials or physical access to the machine, but this still represents a substantial security gap given that many organizations maintain high levels of trust for privileged accounts. The potential for denial of service operations could disrupt critical business processes, while the improper initialization could also create persistent security weaknesses that might be leveraged in subsequent attacks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-665 improper initialization and CWE-362 concurrent execution with improper synchronization, as it involves inadequate setup of system components during boot processes. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this weakness maps to privilege escalation techniques and denial of service operations, potentially enabling adversaries to maintain persistent access or disrupt service availability. Organizations should prioritize firmware updates from Intel and their system vendors to address this issue, as the fix typically involves corrected BIOS initialization routines that properly establish secure system states. Additionally, implementing robust access controls and monitoring for unauthorized administrative activities can help detect potential exploitation attempts, while maintaining current firmware versions serves as the primary defense against this specific vulnerability.