CVE-2021-23152
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Intel Advisor software allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges on affected systems. Attackers could gain higher system permissions than intended. Only systems running vulnerable Intel Advisor versions are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel Advisor
📦 What is this software?
Advisor by Intel
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local attacker gains SYSTEM/root privileges, enabling complete system compromise, data theft, persistence installation, and lateral movement.
Likely Case
Authenticated user elevates to administrator privileges, potentially installing malware, accessing sensitive data, or modifying system configurations.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and least privilege principles, impact limited to authorized user's scope with no privilege escalation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated local access but likely straightforward once access is obtained.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2021.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00622.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Intel Advisor 2021.2 or later from Intel's website. 2. Uninstall previous version. 3. Install updated version. 4. Restart system.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove Intel Advisor
allUninstall Intel Advisor if not required for operations
Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall Intel Advisor (Windows)
sudo apt-get remove intel-advisor (Linux)
Restrict Local Access
allLimit local login to essential users only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict least privilege access controls for all local users
- Monitor for privilege escalation attempts and unusual process behavior
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Intel Advisor version via Help > About in GUI or command line: advisor --versionCheck Version:
advisor --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 2021.2 or higher using same commands📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Intel Advisor process spawning with elevated privileges
- Security log entries for local privilege escalation
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent process contains 'advisor' and privilege level changes