CVE-2021-44454
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows authenticated users with local access to Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition to potentially escalate privileges through improper input validation in a third-party component. It affects users running versions before 21.3 of this FPGA design software. Attackers could gain elevated system permissions if they already have authenticated access to the system.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An authenticated attacker could gain full system administrator/root privileges, potentially compromising the entire system and accessing sensitive FPGA design files or intellectual property.
Likely Case
An authenticated user with malicious intent could elevate their privileges beyond their intended access level, potentially accessing restricted design files or system resources.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and network segmentation, the impact is limited to the local system where the software is installed.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated local access and knowledge of the vulnerable component. No public exploit code has been disclosed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 21.3 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00632.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition version 21.3 or later from Intel's website. 2. Uninstall the vulnerable version. 3. Install the updated version. 4. Restart the system.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict Local Access
allLimit which users have local access to systems running Quartus Prime Pro Edition
Principle of Least Privilege
allEnsure users only have the minimum necessary privileges for their work
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate systems running vulnerable Quartus Prime Pro Edition from critical networks
- Implement strict access controls and monitor for privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Quartus Prime Pro Edition version in Help > About or run 'quartus --version' in terminalCheck Version:
quartus --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify version is 21.3 or higher using the same methods📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Unauthorized access to system files or directories
- Suspicious process creation by Quartus-related executables
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local privilege escalation vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent process contains 'quartus' and child process has elevated privileges