CVE-2021-0057
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Intel NUC M15 Laptop Kit Driver Pack software allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges by exploiting an uncontrolled search path (DLL hijacking). It affects users running vulnerable versions of the driver pack software on Intel NUC M15 laptops.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel NUC M15 Laptop Kit Driver Pack
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An authenticated attacker gains SYSTEM/administrator privileges, enabling complete system compromise, data theft, persistence mechanisms, and lateral movement capabilities.
Likely Case
Local authenticated users (including low-privilege accounts) escalate to administrative privileges to install malware, modify system configurations, or bypass security controls.
If Mitigated
With proper patching and privilege separation, impact is limited to failed exploitation attempts logged by security monitoring.
🎯 Exploit Status
DLL hijacking vulnerabilities typically have low exploitation complexity once the vulnerable path is identified. Requires local authenticated access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 1.1 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00507.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Intel NUC M15 Laptop Kit Driver Pack version 1.1 or later from Intel's website. 2. Run the installer with administrative privileges. 3. Follow on-screen instructions. 4. Restart the system when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove vulnerable driver pack
windowsUninstall the Intel NUC M15 Laptop Kit Driver Pack if not required for system functionality
Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program > Select 'Intel NUC M15 Laptop Kit Driver Pack' > Uninstall
Restrict DLL search paths
windowsUse Windows policies to restrict DLL search paths and prevent DLL hijacking
Set registry key HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\SafeDllSearchMode to 1
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement least privilege principles - ensure users don't have write access to directories in the DLL search path
- Monitor for suspicious DLL loading events and privilege escalation attempts using security tools
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check installed programs for 'Intel NUC M15 Laptop Kit Driver Pack' and verify version is earlier than 1.1Check Version:
wmic product where "name like 'Intel NUC M15 Laptop Kit Driver Pack%'" get versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version is 1.1 or later in Programs and Features, and test that DLL hijacking attempts fail📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing DLL loading from unexpected locations
- Security logs showing privilege escalation attempts
- Process creation events with unexpected parent-child relationships
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators - this is a local privilege escalation
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND (NewProcessName contains 'cmd.exe' OR NewProcessName contains 'powershell.exe') AND ParentProcessName contains vulnerable driver process