CVE-2022-33902
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Intel Quartus Prime software allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges due to insufficient control flow management. It affects users running vulnerable versions of Quartus Prime Pro and Standard editions. Attackers could gain higher system privileges than intended.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition
- Intel Quartus Prime Standard Edition
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An authenticated attacker gains full administrative/root privileges on the system, potentially compromising the entire host and adjacent systems.
Likely Case
An authenticated user with limited privileges gains elevated permissions to modify system settings, install software, or access restricted data.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and least privilege principles, impact is limited to the user's own environment without system-wide compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated local access and knowledge of the vulnerability. No public exploit code available at time of analysis.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Update to latest version as specified in Intel advisory
Vendor Advisory: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00714.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download latest Quartus Prime version from Intel website. 2. Install update following vendor instructions. 3. Restart system to ensure changes take effect.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict User Access
allLimit Quartus Prime software access to trusted users only
Apply Least Privilege
allRun Quartus Prime with minimal necessary privileges
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Isolate affected systems from critical network segments
- Implement strict access controls and monitor for privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Quartus Prime version against Intel advisory. Vulnerable if running affected versions.Check Version:
quartus_sh --version (Linux) or check About in Quartus Prime GUI (Windows)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify Quartus Prime version is updated to patched version specified in Intel advisory.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Quartus Prime process running with elevated privileges
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent process contains 'quartus' and privilege level changes