CVE-2023-1676
📋 TL;DR
This is a critical local privilege escalation vulnerability in DriverGenius software. The vulnerability allows attackers with local access to exploit a memory corruption flaw in the kernel driver to execute arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. Only users running DriverGenius 9.70.0.346 on Windows systems are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- DriverGenius
📦 What is this software?
Drivergenius by Drivergenius
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with SYSTEM privileges, enabling installation of persistent malware, credential theft, and lateral movement across the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation from standard user to SYSTEM privileges, allowing attackers to bypass security controls and install malicious software.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper endpoint protection and least privilege principles are enforced, though local exploitation remains possible.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploit code is publicly available on GitHub, making this easily weaponizable by attackers with local access.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Unknown
Vendor Advisory: Not available
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Check DriverGenius vendor website for updates
2. If no patch available, uninstall DriverGenius 9.70.0.346
3. Consider alternative driver management solutions
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Uninstall DriverGenius
windowsRemove the vulnerable software to eliminate the attack surface
Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall DriverGenius
Block driver loading
windowsPrevent the vulnerable driver from loading using Windows Defender Application Control or similar
Use Windows Security > App & browser control > Exploit protection settings to block vulnerable driver
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict least privilege policies to limit standard user capabilities
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if DriverGenius 9.70.0.346 is installed via Control Panel or 'wmic product get name,version' commandCheck Version:
wmic product where "name like '%DriverGenius%'" get name,versionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify DriverGenius is uninstalled or updated to a version later than 9.70.0.346📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing DriverGenius process creation with elevated privileges
- Security logs showing unexpected SYSTEM privilege acquisition
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators as this is local exploitation only
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND ProcessName LIKE '%DriverGenius%' AND NewProcessName='cmd.exe' OR 'powershell.exe' WITH elevated privileges🔗 References
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kYCec3kYCzD9s2Vnclp_aW5jLneWqHC_/view
- https://github.com/zeze-zeze/WindowsKernelVuln/tree/master/CVE-2023-1676
- https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.224233
- https://vuldb.com/?id.224233
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kYCec3kYCzD9s2Vnclp_aW5jLneWqHC_/view
- https://github.com/zeze-zeze/WindowsKernelVuln/tree/master/CVE-2023-1676
- https://vuldb.com/?ctiid.224233
- https://vuldb.com/?id.224233
