CVE-2019-14557 in Intel
Summary
by MITRE • 10/05/2020
Buffer overflow in BIOS firmware for 8th, 9th, 10th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM), Intel(R) Celeron(R) Processor 4000 & 5000 Series Processors may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable elevation of privilege or denial of service via adjacent access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/16/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the BIOS firmware of Intel processors spanning the 8th through 10th generations, including the 4000 and 5000 series Celeron processors. The issue stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the firmware code that fails to properly bounds-check data structures during processing. When malicious data is fed into vulnerable firmware components, the buffer overflow condition occurs, potentially allowing an authenticated attacker with adjacent access to manipulate memory locations beyond intended boundaries. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-121 as a stack-based buffer overflow, which occurs when a program writes data beyond the allocated buffer space on the stack. This type of flaw is particularly dangerous in firmware contexts because it operates at the lowest level of system operation, where traditional operating system protections like stack canaries and address space layout randomization may not be fully effective.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass potential denial of service conditions that could render systems inoperable. An attacker with adjacent physical access or network proximity can exploit this weakness to execute arbitrary code within the firmware context, potentially gaining root-level privileges or corrupting critical system components. The authenticated requirement means that the attacker must first establish some level of access to the system, typically through legitimate user credentials or administrative access, before attempting to leverage the buffer overflow. This attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which describes the exploitation of local system vulnerabilities for privilege escalation, and T1005 which covers data from local system storage. The vulnerability's presence in multiple processor generations indicates a systemic issue within Intel's firmware development practices, affecting a substantial portion of enterprise and consumer computing infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address both immediate protection and long-term firmware security improvements. The most effective immediate solution involves applying firmware updates from Intel that contain patches specifically designed to address the buffer overflow conditions in the affected BIOS implementations. System administrators should prioritize updating firmware across all affected devices, particularly in enterprise environments where the risk of adjacent access attacks may be higher. Additional protective measures include implementing firmware integrity monitoring systems that can detect unauthorized modifications to BIOS components, enabling secure boot mechanisms to ensure only trusted firmware versions execute, and configuring network access controls to limit adjacent access points. Organizations should also consider implementing runtime protection mechanisms such as memory protection technologies and monitoring for anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining current firmware updates and establishing robust supply chain security practices to prevent exploitation of low-level system vulnerabilities that could compromise entire computing platforms.