CVE-2023-34431

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-34431?

CVE-2023-34431 has a CVSS score of 8.2 (HIGH). This vulnerability in Intel Server Board BIOS firmware allows a privileged user with local access to potentially escalate privileges through improper input validation. It affects systems running vulnerable Intel Server Board BIOS versions. Attackers could gain higher-level system access than originally authorized.

8.2 HIGH

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability in Intel Server Board BIOS firmware allows a privileged user with local access to potentially escalate privileges through improper input validation. It affects systems running vulnerable Intel Server Board BIOS versions. Attackers could gain higher-level system access than originally authorized.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Intel Server Board S2600ST family
Intel Server Board S2600WF family
Intel Server Board S2600BP family

Versions: BIOS versions before SE5C620.86B.02.01.0013.030920210559

Operating Systems: All operating systems running on affected hardware

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with the specific Intel Server Board models listed. Requires local access to the system console or physical access to exploit.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

An attacker with existing privileged access could gain complete control over the server hardware, potentially installing persistent firmware-level malware, bypassing operating system security controls, and accessing all data on the system.

🟠

Likely Case

A malicious insider or compromised administrator account could use this vulnerability to elevate privileges beyond their authorized level, potentially accessing sensitive data or making unauthorized system modifications.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper access controls limiting local administrative access and network segmentation, the impact would be limited to the specific compromised server rather than spreading across the network.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This vulnerability requires local access to the physical server or console access, making direct internet exploitation unlikely.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - This poses significant risk in internal environments where privileged users or compromised accounts could exploit the vulnerability to gain deeper system access.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires existing privileged access to the system. No public exploit code has been identified, but the vulnerability is documented in Intel's security advisory.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: BIOS version SE5C620.86B.02.01.0013.030920210559 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00719.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download the updated BIOS firmware from Intel's support site
2. Follow Intel's BIOS update procedures for your specific server board model
3. Apply the BIOS update using the appropriate method (in-system update, USB, etc.)
4. Reboot the server to complete the update process
5. Verify the new BIOS version is installed

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict Physical and Console Access

all

Limit physical access to server hardware and restrict console/management interface access to authorized personnel only.

Implement Least Privilege Access

all

Ensure users only have the minimum necessary privileges and regularly audit privileged account usage.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Isolate affected servers in a separate network segment with strict access controls
Implement enhanced monitoring and logging of privileged user activities on vulnerable systems

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check the BIOS version in system setup (F2 during boot) or using Intel's System Management Tools. Compare against vulnerable version SE5C620.86B.02.01.0013.030920210559.

Check Version:

For Linux: dmidecode -t bios | grep Version
For Windows: wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion
For IPMI: ipmitool mc info | grep 'Firmware Revision'

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify BIOS version is SE5C620.86B.02.01.0013.030920210559 or later in system setup or management tools.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual BIOS/UEFI configuration changes
Multiple failed BIOS/UEFI access attempts
Unexpected system reboots or firmware update attempts

Network Indicators:

Unusual outbound connections from server management interfaces
Traffic to/from server BMC/IPMI interfaces from unexpected sources

SIEM Query:

source="bios_logs" AND (event_type="configuration_change" OR event_type="firmware_update") AND user!="authorized_admin"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-34431

CVSS v3 Score: 8.2 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-20

Published: November 14, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00719.html Patch,Vendor Advisory
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00719.html Patch,Vendor Advisory

📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

Compute Module Hns2600bpb Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpb24 Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpblc Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpblc24 Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpblc24r Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpblcr Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpbr Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpq Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpq24 Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpq24r Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpqr Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bps Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bps24 Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bps24r Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Hns2600bpsr Firmware by Intel

Compute Module Liquid Cooled Hns2600bpbrct Firmware by Intel

Server Board M10jnp2sb Firmware by Intel

Server Board M20ntp2sb Firmware by Intel

Server Board M70klp2sb Firmware by Intel

Server Board S2600bpb Firmware by Intel

Server Board S2600bpbr Firmware by Intel

Server Board S2600bpq Firmware by Intel

Server Board S2600bpqr Firmware by Intel

Server Board S2600bps Firmware by Intel

Server Board S2600bpsr Firmware by Intel

Server System M20ntp1ur304 Firmware by Intel

Server System M70klp4s2uhh Firmware by Intel

Server System Mcb2208wfaf5 Firmware by Intel

Server System Vrn2224bpaf6 Firmware by Intel

Server System Vrn2224bphy6 Firmware by Intel

Server System Zsb2224bpaf1 Firmware by Intel

Server System Zsb2224bpaf2 Firmware by Intel

Server System Zsb2224bphy1 Firmware by Intel