CVE-2022-33964
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Intel SUR software allows unauthenticated attackers to potentially escalate privileges via network access due to improper input validation. It affects systems running Intel SUR software before version 2.4.8902. Attackers could gain elevated privileges on affected systems without authentication.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel(R) SUR (System Usage Report)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with administrative privileges, allowing installation of malware, data theft, or lateral movement within the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation to SYSTEM/root level, enabling persistence mechanisms, credential harvesting, or disabling security controls.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and access controls preventing unauthenticated network access to the vulnerable service.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability requires network access to the Intel SUR service but no authentication, making exploitation straightforward if the service is exposed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.4.8902 or later
Vendor Advisory: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00729.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Intel SUR version 2.4.8902 or later from Intel's website. 2. Run the installer as administrator. 3. Follow installation prompts. 4. Restart the system when prompted.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Block network access to Intel SUR service
windowsConfigure firewall rules to block inbound network connections to the Intel SUR service port (default TCP 8080).
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Block Intel SUR" dir=in action=block protocol=TCP localport=8080
Disable Intel SUR service
windowsStop and disable the Intel SUR service to prevent exploitation.
sc stop "Intel(R) System Usage Report"
sc config "Intel(R) System Usage Report" start= disabled
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate systems with Intel SUR from untrusted networks.
- Deploy host-based firewalls to block all inbound connections to the Intel SUR service port.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Intel SUR version in Control Panel > Programs and Features (Windows) or via package manager (Linux).Check Version:
Windows: Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*Intel*SUR*"} | Select-Object Name, VersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify installed version is 2.4.8902 or higher and the service is running with the updated binary.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation from Intel SUR service
- Failed authentication attempts to Intel SUR service
- Network connections to Intel SUR port from unexpected sources
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic patterns to/from port 8080 (default Intel SUR port)
- Multiple connection attempts to Intel SUR service from single source
SIEM Query:
source="*Intel*SUR*" AND (event_id=4688 OR event_id=4625) AND process_name="*sur*"