CVE-2020-24462
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write in Intel Graphics Drivers that allows an authenticated local user to potentially escalate privileges. It affects systems running vulnerable Intel Graphics Driver versions on Windows operating systems. Attackers could gain higher system privileges than they should have.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel Graphics Driver
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An authenticated attacker gains SYSTEM/root privileges, enabling complete system compromise, data theft, persistence installation, and lateral movement.
Likely Case
Local authenticated user escalates to administrator privileges, allowing installation of malware, disabling security controls, or accessing sensitive data.
If Mitigated
With proper privilege separation and least privilege principles, impact is limited to the compromised user's scope.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local authenticated access and knowledge of driver internals. No public exploit code known.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 15.33.53.5161, 15.36.40.5162, 15.40.47.5166, 15.45.33.5164, or 27.20.100.8336 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00438.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download latest Intel Graphics Driver from Intel website or Windows Update. 2. Run installer with administrative privileges. 3. Restart system when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Local User Access
windowsLimit local user accounts to only necessary personnel and implement least privilege principles.
Application Whitelisting
windowsImplement application control policies to prevent unauthorized code execution.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict least privilege access controls for all user accounts
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Intel Graphics Driver version in Device Manager > Display adapters > Intel Graphics > Driver tabCheck Version:
wmic path win32_pnpsigneddriver where "devicename like '%Intel%Graphics%'" get devicename, driverversionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify driver version is at or above the patched versions listed in affected_systems.versions📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing unexpected privilege escalation
- Driver loading/unloading anomalies
- Process creation with unexpected parent/privileges
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND NewProcessName LIKE '%*' AND ParentProcessName IN ('cmd.exe', 'powershell.exe', 'explorer.exe') AND SubjectUserName NOT IN (admin_users)