CVE-2020-8701 in SSD Toolbox
Summary
by MITRE • 02/17/2021
Incorrect default permissions in installer for the Intel(R) SSD Toolbox versions before 2/9/2021 may allow a privileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-8701 affects the Intel(R) SSD Toolbox installer software, specifically versions released before February 9th, 2021. This issue represents a critical security flaw in the software installation process that could potentially allow attackers with local access to escalate their privileges within the system. The vulnerability stems from improper default permissions configured during the installation process, creating a security weakness that adversaries could exploit to gain elevated system privileges.
The technical flaw manifests in the installer's handling of file and directory permissions during the installation of the Intel SSD Toolbox software. When the installer creates files and directories on the target system, it fails to properly set restrictive permissions that would normally be expected for system components. This misconfiguration allows a privileged user who has local access to the system to potentially manipulate the installed components and elevate their privileges. The vulnerability specifically affects the installation process rather than the software functionality itself, making it a pre-authentication privilege escalation vector.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to systems running affected versions of the Intel SSD Toolbox. Attackers with local access to a system could potentially leverage this weakness to gain higher privileges, which could then be used to access sensitive data, modify system configurations, or establish persistent access. The impact is particularly concerning because it requires only local access to exploit, meaning that an attacker who has already gained access to a system through other means could use this vulnerability to further compromise the environment. This type of privilege escalation vulnerability is classified under CWE-276, which deals with incorrect permissions for a resource, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers local privilege escalation.
The risk assessment for this vulnerability is elevated due to the nature of the installer-based attack vector and the potential for privilege escalation. Organizations running affected versions of the Intel SSD Toolbox should prioritize patching to address this issue, as the vulnerability could be exploited by attackers who have already gained local access to systems. The fix implemented by Intel involved correcting the default permissions used during the installation process, ensuring that installed components are properly secured and cannot be easily manipulated by local users to achieve privilege escalation. This remediation aligns with security best practices for software installation and component protection, emphasizing the importance of proper access control and privilege management in system security.