CVE-2023-28380
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Intel AI Hackathon software allows attackers to place malicious files in locations the software searches, potentially enabling privilege escalation. It affects users running versions before 2.0.0 who have the software installed. Attackers can exploit this via network access without authentication.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel AI Hackathon software
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with administrative privileges, allowing installation of persistent malware, data theft, and lateral movement across the network.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing attackers to gain higher privileges than their current user account, potentially accessing sensitive data or modifying system configurations.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper file permissions and network segmentation, potentially only allowing file execution in user context without escalation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires understanding of search path behavior and ability to place files in accessible locations. No public exploit code identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 2.0.0 or later
Vendor Advisory: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00877.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Intel AI Hackathon software version 2.0.0 or later from official Intel sources. 2. Uninstall previous versions. 3. Install the updated version. 4. Restart the system to ensure all components are updated.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict network file sharing
allPrevent attackers from placing malicious files in network-accessible directories by restricting file sharing permissions.
Set secure file permissions
allConfigure file system permissions to prevent unauthorized users from writing to directories in the software's search path.
chmod 755 /path/to/directory (Linux)
icacls "C:\path\to\directory" /deny Everyone:(OI)(CI)W (Windows)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Remove or disable the Intel AI Hackathon software from affected systems
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate systems running vulnerable software
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check the installed version of Intel AI Hackathon software. If version is below 2.0.0, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check software about/help menu or installation directory for version information. On Windows: Check Add/Remove Programs. On Linux: Check package manager or run 'intel-ai-hackathon --version' if available.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify that Intel AI Hackathon software version is 2.0.0 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected file executions from network locations
- Process creation with unusual parent processes
- Failed privilege escalation attempts in system logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual file transfers to directories in software search paths
- Network connections to unexpected locations during software execution
SIEM Query:
Process creation where (parent_process contains 'intel-ai-hackathon' OR process_name contains 'intel-ai-hackathon') AND (command_line contains network_path OR file_path contains '\\' or '//')