CVE-2020-0525 in Ethernet I210 Controller
Summary
by MITRE • 02/17/2021
Improper access control in firmware for the Intel(R) Ethernet I210 Controller series of network adapters before version 3.30 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable denial of service via local access.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-0525 represents a critical access control flaw within the firmware of Intel(R) Ethernet I210 Controller network adapters. This issue affects devices manufactured prior to firmware version 3.30 and stems from inadequate privilege validation mechanisms that permit unauthorized local access to critical system functions. The flaw resides in the firmware layer responsible for managing network adapter operations, specifically in how it handles access permissions for administrative commands and system configuration modifications. Attackers with local privileged access could exploit this weakness to manipulate network adapter behavior and potentially cause system-wide denial of service conditions that would disrupt network connectivity and application availability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in proper access control enforcement within the firmware's privilege management system. The Intel Ethernet I210 Controller firmware lacks robust validation checks for incoming commands that should require elevated privileges, allowing malicious or compromised local users to execute administrative operations without proper authorization. This flaw specifically impacts the firmware's handling of configuration registers and system control interfaces, where unauthorized access to critical network adapter parameters could result in system instability or complete service interruption. The vulnerability operates at the firmware level, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses traditional operating system security controls and operates below the visibility of standard application monitoring tools.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to enterprise environments where local system access may be compromised or where insider threats exist. The potential for denial of service attacks through local access means that even authorized users with elevated privileges could inadvertently or maliciously disrupt network services, affecting business continuity and operational availability. Network administrators face the challenge of identifying affected devices and implementing firmware updates without disrupting critical network infrastructure operations. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption to potentially affect mission-critical applications that depend on uninterrupted network connectivity, particularly in industrial control systems and data center environments where network reliability is paramount for system operations.
Organizations should prioritize immediate firmware updates to version 3.30 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the exploit requires only local access and privileged user accounts to be effective. System administrators should conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all affected Intel Ethernet I210 Controller devices within their network infrastructure and implement staged update processes to minimize service disruption. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and represents a specific implementation weakness in firmware privilege management. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and system service manipulation, potentially enabling adversaries to establish persistent network disruption capabilities. Additional mitigations include network segmentation to limit local access to critical systems, enhanced monitoring for unauthorized configuration changes, and implementation of firmware integrity checking mechanisms to detect unauthorized modifications to network adapter firmware components.