CVE-2020-24503 in Ethernet E810 Adapter Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 02/17/2021
Insufficient access control in some Intel(R) Ethernet E810 Adapter drivers for Linux before version 1.0.4 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-24503 represents a critical access control flaw within the Intel Ethernet E810 Adapter drivers for Linux operating systems. This issue affects versions prior to 1.0.4 and stems from inadequate privilege validation mechanisms within the driver code. The flaw allows authenticated users with local system access to potentially exploit information disclosure capabilities that should be restricted to privileged system components or administrators. The vulnerability resides in the driver's implementation of access control checks, where proper authorization validation fails to occur for sensitive operations or data access points.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through insufficient validation of user privileges during driver operations. When an authenticated user executes specific commands or accesses certain driver interfaces, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary administrative privileges. This weak access control implementation creates a pathway for privilege escalation and information disclosure attacks. The flaw specifically impacts the driver's handling of sensitive network configuration data, system statistics, and potentially confidential operational parameters that should remain protected from unauthorized local access. The vulnerability can be classified under CWE-284 which addresses improper access control mechanisms in software implementations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables authenticated local users to gain access to sensitive network adapter configuration information that could reveal system topology, network parameters, and operational details. The information disclosure could potentially aid attackers in planning more sophisticated attacks against the network infrastructure. Security researchers have noted that this vulnerability could be leveraged to gather intelligence about network configurations, which might subsequently be used to identify potential attack vectors or target other systems within the network. The local nature of the attack means that an attacker would need to first establish a foothold on the target system, but once achieved, could potentially extract valuable data that would normally be restricted.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to privilege escalation and credential access. Attackers could use this flaw to gather additional information about the target system's network configuration, potentially identifying network segments, IP addressing schemes, and other operational details that could be valuable for further attacks. The vulnerability also falls under the category of information gathering and reconnaissance activities that precede more targeted attacks. Organizations should consider implementing comprehensive monitoring of driver access patterns and system calls to detect potential exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2020-24503 primarily focus on updating to the patched driver version 1.0.4 or later, which implements proper access control mechanisms. System administrators should also implement principle of least privilege configurations, ensuring that local user accounts have minimal necessary permissions for system operations. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect unusual driver access patterns or unauthorized access attempts. Additionally, organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments of their network infrastructure to identify and remediate similar access control weaknesses in other driver components or system interfaces. The patch addresses the root cause by implementing proper privilege validation checks and ensuring that sensitive operations require appropriate administrative authorization before execution.