CVE-2021-33101
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Intel GPA software allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges by manipulating the software's search path. It affects users running vulnerable versions of Intel GPA software on their systems. Attackers could potentially gain higher privileges than intended through local access.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel(R) Graphics Performance Analyzers (GPA)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An authenticated attacker gains SYSTEM/root privileges on the affected machine, enabling complete system compromise, data theft, and persistence.
Likely Case
Local authenticated user escalates to administrator privileges, allowing installation of malware, modification of system settings, or access to protected data.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and least privilege principles, impact is limited to the compromised user account only.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated local access and knowledge of DLL hijacking/search path manipulation techniques.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 21.2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00574.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Intel GPA version 21.2 or later from Intel's website. 2. Uninstall previous versions. 3. Install the updated version. 4. Restart the system.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local user permissions
allApply least privilege principles to limit what authenticated users can do on systems with Intel GPA installed.
Remove Intel GPA from non-essential systems
allUninstall Intel GPA from systems where it's not required for operations.
Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall Intel GPA (Windows)
sudo apt remove intel-gpa (Linux)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls and least privilege for all user accounts
- Monitor for suspicious privilege escalation attempts and DLL loading events
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Intel GPA version: On Windows - Check Programs and Features; On Linux - Check package manager or run 'intel-gpa --version'Check Version:
Windows: Check in Control Panel > Programs and Features; Linux: dpkg -l | grep intel-gpa or rpm -qa | grep intel-gpaVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Intel GPA version is 21.2 or higher after update📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Suspicious DLL loading from non-standard paths
- Intel GPA process spawning with elevated privileges
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND ProcessName LIKE '%gpa%' AND NewIntegrityLevel=System