CVE-2023-48366 in System Security Report and System Resources Defense
Summary
by MITRE • 02/13/2025
Race condition in some Intel(R) System Security Report and System Resources Defense firmware may allow a privileged user to potentially enable information disclosure via local access.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/29/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-48366 represents a race condition flaw within Intel's System Security Report and System Resources Defense firmware components. This race condition specifically affects systems utilizing Intel's security firmware mechanisms designed to protect against various threats including privilege escalation and unauthorized access. The vulnerability exists at the firmware level, making it particularly concerning as it operates below the operating system layer where traditional security controls may not effectively mitigate the risk. The race condition occurs during specific firmware operations that involve concurrent access to shared resources or memory locations, creating temporal windows where malicious or privileged users could exploit the timing inconsistencies.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper synchronization mechanisms within the firmware code that manages system security reporting and resource defense functions. When multiple threads or processes attempt to access or modify shared firmware resources simultaneously, the lack of adequate locking or atomic operations creates opportunities for information disclosure. This flaw allows a user with local access and sufficient privileges to potentially read sensitive data that should normally be protected by the firmware security mechanisms. The race condition typically manifests when the firmware fails to properly validate the state of shared resources before performing operations, enabling malicious actors to manipulate timing sequences and access unauthorized information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure as it represents a fundamental weakness in the firmware security architecture that could potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks. An attacker with local privileged access could exploit this condition to extract sensitive system information including security keys, access credentials, or other confidential data that the firmware is supposed to protect. The implications are particularly severe for enterprise environments where firmware-level vulnerabilities can bypass traditional security controls and provide attackers with persistent access to critical systems. This vulnerability undermines the trust model that firmware security mechanisms are designed to establish, potentially allowing attackers to gain deeper insights into system configurations and security implementations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-48366 primarily focus on firmware updates and system hardening measures. Intel has released firmware updates addressing this race condition that should be deployed immediately across affected systems. Organizations should implement strict firmware update policies and ensure that all systems are running the latest security patches. Additionally, system administrators should conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and monitor for unusual access patterns that might indicate exploitation of this vulnerability. The mitigation approach aligns with industry standards such as those recommended in the CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) catalog under weakness category 362 which addresses race conditions, and also corresponds to ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and credential access through firmware manipulation. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring controls and access restriction measures to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts.