CVE-2023-32656 in RealSense ID Software 450 FA
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2023
Improper buffer restrictions in some Intel(R) RealSense(TM) ID software for Intel(R) RealSense(TM) 450 FA in version 0.25.0 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-32656 represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within Intel RealSense ID software version 0.25.0 for the Intel RealSense 450 FA device. This issue stems from improper buffer restrictions that affect the software's memory management mechanisms, creating potential attack vectors for authenticated local users. The vulnerability exists within the software's handling of user input and memory allocation processes, specifically impacting how the system manages buffer boundaries during data processing operations. The flaw allows an attacker with local authentication credentials to exploit memory corruption weaknesses that could lead to elevated privileges within the system. This represents a significant security concern as it bridges the gap between local user access and system-level privilege escalation, potentially enabling attackers to gain unauthorized administrative control over affected systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through buffer overflow conditions that occur when the RealSense ID software processes user-supplied data or configuration parameters. The software fails to properly validate buffer sizes during memory allocation operations, allowing malicious input to overwrite adjacent memory regions. This improper buffer restriction creates a condition where an authenticated user can craft specific inputs that cause memory corruption, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability operates at the application level within the RealSense ID software stack, specifically affecting the device's authentication and biometric processing modules. According to CWE classification, this represents a buffer overflow weakness categorized under CWE-121, which deals with stack-based buffer overflow conditions. The issue demonstrates characteristics of a privilege escalation vulnerability where local authentication is sufficient to exploit the memory corruption flaw, making it particularly dangerous in environments where multiple users have access to the system.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses substantial risks to organizations relying on Intel RealSense 450 FA devices for biometric authentication and access control. The local privilege escalation capability means that an attacker who has already gained user-level access to a system can potentially elevate their privileges to administrator or root level, effectively bypassing security controls. This could result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, system compromise, and potential lateral movement within network environments. The vulnerability affects systems where the RealSense ID software is installed and actively running, particularly in enterprise environments where biometric authentication is used for access control. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access, install malware, or exfiltrate confidential information from systems that rely on the affected device for security operations. The impact extends beyond individual system compromise to potentially affect entire network security infrastructures that depend on the integrity of biometric authentication systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-32656 should focus on immediate software updates and system hardening measures. Intel has released patches and updated versions of the RealSense ID software that address the buffer restriction issues and implement proper memory validation controls. Organizations should prioritize applying these updates to all affected systems and ensure that the updated software versions properly validate buffer sizes during memory operations. System administrators should also implement additional security controls such as restricting local user access, monitoring for unusual privilege escalation attempts, and conducting regular security assessments of biometric authentication systems. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit the potential impact of privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management in security-critical applications, aligning with ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and defense evasion. Regular security testing and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar buffer overflow conditions in other software components, particularly in authentication and biometric processing systems that handle sensitive user data and system access controls.