CVE-2022-30944 in AMT
Summary
by MITRE • 08/19/2022
Insufficiently protected credentials for Intel(R) AMT and Intel(R) Standard Manageability may allow a privileged user to potentially enable information disclosure via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-30944 represents a critical weakness in Intel's Active Management Technology and Standard Manageability implementations that undermines the security of enterprise computing infrastructure. This flaw specifically targets the insufficient protection of credentials within Intel's management frameworks, creating potential pathways for information disclosure that could be exploited by privileged local users. The vulnerability exists within the core authentication mechanisms that govern access to Intel's remote management capabilities, which are widely deployed across enterprise environments for system monitoring, maintenance, and security management purposes. These management technologies are integral to modern IT infrastructure, particularly in data centers and enterprise networks where centralized system management is essential for operational efficiency.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the inadequate cryptographic protection of credentials stored within Intel's AMT and Standard Manageability components. When credentials are not sufficiently protected, they become vulnerable to extraction and unauthorized access through local system compromise. This weakness allows a privileged user who has already gained local access to the affected system to potentially extract sensitive authentication information that would normally be protected by strong cryptographic measures. The vulnerability specifically affects the credential storage mechanisms within Intel's management engines, which operate independently of the main operating system and maintain their own authentication databases. This design characteristic creates a potential attack surface that can be exploited through local privilege escalation or system compromise techniques, particularly when the management engine is enabled and configured with default or weak credential settings.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-30944 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of Intel's management technologies and creates potential for broader system compromise. Organizations utilizing Intel AMT and Standard Manageability may experience unauthorized access to system configuration data, remote management capabilities, and potentially sensitive operational information that could be leveraged for further attacks. The vulnerability affects systems where these management technologies are enabled, particularly in enterprise environments where they are commonly deployed for remote system administration, firmware updates, and security monitoring. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability could potentially gain persistent access to managed systems, enabling them to perform unauthorized maintenance operations, extract system information, or establish backdoors within the enterprise network. The impact is particularly severe in environments where these management technologies are configured with default credentials or weak authentication mechanisms, as the vulnerability could be exploited with minimal effort once local access is obtained.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling Intel AMT and Standard Manageability features when not required, updating to patched firmware versions from Intel, and implementing strong credential management practices for any systems that require these features. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) and CWE-310 (Cryptographic Issues) categories, representing a clear failure to properly protect sensitive authentication data. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation, specifically T1552 (Credentials in Files) and T1068 (Local Privilege Escalation). System administrators should conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify affected systems, review credential configurations, and implement monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to management interfaces. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation to isolate systems with these management features and establish strict access controls for local system administration to minimize the potential impact of local privilege escalation attacks that could exploit this vulnerability.