CVE-2022-34854 in SUR
Summary
by MITRE • 02/16/2023
Improper access control in the Intel(R) SUR software before version 2.4.8902 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/18/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-34854 represents a critical access control flaw within Intel's Software Update Receiver (SUR) software ecosystem. This issue affects versions prior to 2.4.8902 and stems from inadequate privilege validation mechanisms that fail to properly enforce access restrictions for authenticated users. The flaw exists within the software update infrastructure that Intel employs for managing device firmware and system components across various hardware platforms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through insufficient authorization checks during local system operations. When an authenticated user interacts with the SUR software, the system fails to adequately validate whether the user possesses the necessary elevated privileges to perform privilege escalation actions. This weakness creates a pathway for malicious actors who have already gained local access to potentially elevate their system privileges without proper authentication. The flaw operates at the kernel or system-level execution context where standard user permissions should be strictly enforced, yet the software fails to maintain proper privilege boundaries.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to enterprise and industrial environments where Intel SUR software is deployed. The local access requirement means that an attacker must first establish a foothold on the target system, typically through social engineering, phishing attacks, or exploiting other initial access vulnerabilities. Once local access is achieved, the attacker can leverage this flaw to gain elevated privileges, potentially enabling complete system compromise. The impact extends beyond individual device compromise to include potential lateral movement within networked environments where multiple devices share similar software configurations. Organizations using Intel's SUR software for automated firmware updates face particular risk as the vulnerability could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to update processes and potentially compromise the entire update infrastructure.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which specifically addresses improper access control, and represents a classic case of privilege escalation through inadequate authorization mechanisms. From an adversary perspective, this flaw maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' and T1547.001, covering 'Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder' as potential exploitation vectors. The local access requirement means that attackers would typically need to first establish initial compromise through other attack vectors before leveraging this specific vulnerability. Organizations should consider this vulnerability in the context of their overall security posture and potential attack chains that could lead to system compromise.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate software updates to version 2.4.8902 or later, which contain the necessary access control fixes. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring for unusual privilege escalation activities and ensure that local user accounts are properly managed with least privilege principles. Network segmentation and endpoint detection and response solutions should be deployed to identify potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of update infrastructure and access control mechanisms should be conducted to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other system components. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date software configurations and implementing robust access control policies that extend beyond simple authentication to include proper authorization and privilege validation mechanisms.