CVE-2021-0109
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Intel SOC driver packages allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges due to insecure inherited permissions. It affects systems running Intel STK1A32SC driver versions before 604. Attackers with local access can potentially gain elevated system privileges.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel SOC driver package for STK1A32SC
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with administrative privileges, allowing installation of malware, data theft, or persistence mechanisms.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation enabling attackers to bypass security controls and access restricted resources.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper access controls and least privilege principles are enforced on systems.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local authenticated access but appears straightforward once access is obtained.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Version 604 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00471.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Intel driver version 604 or later from Intel's website. 2. Uninstall current vulnerable driver. 3. Install updated driver. 4. Restart system.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local access
allLimit local user access to systems with vulnerable drivers to trusted personnel only.
Apply strict file permissions
allManually review and tighten permissions on Intel driver files and directories.
chmod 750 /path/to/intel/driver/files (Linux)
icacls "C:\Intel\driver" /inheritance:r /grant:r "Administrators:(OI)(CI)F" (Windows)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls and monitor for privilege escalation attempts
- Isolate affected systems from critical network segments and apply network segmentation
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Intel driver version in Device Manager (Windows) or via 'modinfo' command (Linux) for STK1A32SC driver.Check Version:
Windows: Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPSignedDriver | Where-Object {$_.DeviceName -like '*STK1A32SC*'} | Select-Object DeviceName, DriverVersion
Linux: modinfo | grep -i stk1a32scVerify Fix Applied:
Verify driver version is 604 or higher after update and check that file permissions are properly set.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Access to Intel driver files by non-admin users
- Driver loading/unloading anomalies
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
EventID=4672 OR EventID=4688 on Windows systems with Intel driver processes