CVE-2021-33145
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Intel Ethernet Adapters and Controller I225 Manageability firmware allows a privileged user to trigger an uncaught exception, potentially enabling local privilege escalation. It affects systems with these specific Intel hardware components and requires local access. The impact is limited to environments where attackers already have some level of system access.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel Ethernet Adapters
- Intel Ethernet Controller I225 Manageability firmware
📦 What is this software?
Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver by Intel
Ethernet Controller I225 It Firmware by Intel
View all CVEs affecting Ethernet Controller I225 It Firmware →
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
A privileged attacker could gain full system control through local privilege escalation, potentially compromising the entire system and accessing sensitive data.
Likely Case
An attacker with existing local access could elevate privileges to gain additional system permissions or bypass security controls.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, the impact is limited to systems where attackers already have privileged access, reducing overall risk.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local privileged access and knowledge of triggering the uncaught exception. No public exploit code known at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Firmware updates as specified in Intel-SA-00756
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00756.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Visit Intel security advisory SA-00756. 2. Identify your specific Intel Ethernet hardware model. 3. Download appropriate firmware update from Intel. 4. Apply firmware update following Intel's instructions. 5. Reboot system to activate new firmware.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local privileged access
allLimit the number of users with local administrative/privileged access to reduce attack surface
Disable unnecessary manageability features
allIf Intel Ethernet manageability features are not required, disable them in BIOS/UEFI settings
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit local privileged users
- Monitor for unusual privilege escalation attempts and system behavior changes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Intel Ethernet hardware model and firmware version against Intel advisory SA-00756. Use 'lspci -v' on Linux or Device Manager on Windows to identify hardware.Check Version:
Linux: 'lspci -v | grep -i ethernet' or 'ethtool -i [interface]'. Windows: Check Device Manager properties for network adapter driver/firmware version.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify firmware version has been updated to non-vulnerable version listed in Intel advisory. Check firmware version in system BIOS/UEFI or using Intel-provided tools.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected system crashes or reboots
- Unusual privilege escalation events in security logs
- Failed firmware/hardware exception logs
Network Indicators:
- No network-based indicators as this is local exploit
SIEM Query:
Search for: 'privilege escalation', 'local exploit', 'firmware exception', 'Intel Ethernet' in system and security logs