CVE-2023-38581 in Power Gadget Software
Summary
by MITRE • 05/17/2024
Buffer overflow in Intel(R) Power Gadget software for Windows all versions may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-38581 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within Intel(R) Power Gadget software for Windows environments. This software utility is designed to monitor and analyze power consumption and performance metrics of intel processors, making it a widely used tool among system administrators, developers, and performance analysts. The buffer overflow vulnerability exists within the software's handling of input data, specifically when processing certain parameters or configuration values that exceed allocated memory boundaries. This flaw affects all versions of the Intel Power Gadget software running on Windows operating systems, creating a persistent security risk across multiple deployment scenarios.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking within the software's memory management routines. When an authenticated user provides malicious input data to the application, the software fails to validate the size of incoming parameters before copying them into fixed-size buffers. This classic buffer overflow condition allows an attacker to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting program execution flow and enabling arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only local authentication, meaning that an attacker with legitimate user credentials on the system can exploit this flaw without requiring additional network access or elevated privileges initially.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant privilege escalation risk that could be leveraged by malicious actors already within a network environment. The authenticated nature of the exploit means that attackers could potentially escalate their privileges from standard user accounts to administrative or system-level access, depending on the software's execution context and the target system's security configuration. This capability could enable attackers to establish persistent access, install malware, modify system configurations, or exfiltrate sensitive data from compromised systems. The impact is amplified in enterprise environments where Intel Power Gadget is commonly deployed for performance monitoring and system optimization purposes, as these systems often run with elevated privileges or have access to critical infrastructure components.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in relation to the CWE-121 buffer overflow category, which encompasses runtime memory corruption issues that occur when insufficient bounds checking allows data to be written beyond the boundaries of allocated buffers. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under the privilege escalation technique, specifically targeting the use of local tools and utilities to gain elevated system access. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through official Intel patches or updates, while implementing additional security controls such as application whitelisting, privilege separation, and monitoring for suspicious process behavior. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure coding practices and regular security assessments of third-party software components, particularly those that operate with elevated privileges or handle system-level data processing.