CVE-2023-34438

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-34438?

CVE-2023-34438 has a CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). A race condition vulnerability in Intel NUC BIOS firmware allows a privileged user with local access to potentially escalate privileges. This affects Intel NUC systems with vulnerable BIOS versions, requiring an attacker to already have some level of system access.

7.5 HIGH

📋 TL;DR

A race condition vulnerability in Intel NUC BIOS firmware allows a privileged user with local access to potentially escalate privileges. This affects Intel NUC systems with vulnerable BIOS versions, requiring an attacker to already have some level of system access.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Intel NUC systems

Versions: Specific BIOS versions listed in Intel advisory

Operating Systems: All OS running on affected NUC hardware

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires local access and privileged user account. Exact BIOS versions in Intel SA-00917.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Privileged attacker gains full system control, potentially installing persistent malware or accessing sensitive data.

🟠

Likely Case

Privileged user escalates to higher privileges within the system, enabling further compromise.

🟢

If Mitigated

Attack fails due to proper access controls and patched firmware.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access and privileged user credentials.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal privileged users could exploit this for privilege escalation.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Race condition exploitation requires precise timing and privileged access.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: BIOS updates specified in Intel SA-00917

Vendor Advisory: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00917.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Identify NUC model and current BIOS version. 2. Download appropriate BIOS update from Intel support site. 3. Follow Intel BIOS update procedures. 4. Reboot system.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict local privileged access

all

Limit number of users with local administrative privileges

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict access controls and least privilege principles
Monitor for unusual privilege escalation attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check BIOS version against vulnerable versions in Intel SA-00917

Check Version:

Windows: wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion | Linux: dmidecode -s bios-version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify BIOS version matches patched version from Intel advisory

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual BIOS access attempts
Privilege escalation patterns

Network Indicators:

None - local exploit only

SIEM Query:

Search for BIOS update events followed by privilege changes

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-34438

CVSS v3 Score: 7.5 (HIGH)

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

CWE: CWE-421

Published: August 11, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00917.html Patch,Vendor Advisory
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00917.html Patch,Vendor Advisory

📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

Compute Element Stk2mv64cc Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i3bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i3bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i3bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i3bnhxf Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i3bnk Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i5bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i5bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i5bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i5bnhxf Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i5bnk Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i5bnkp Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i7bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i7bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i7bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i7bnhxg Firmware by Intel

Nuc Board Nuc7i7bnkq Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i3bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i3bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i3bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i3bnhxf Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i3bnk Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i5bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i5bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i5bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i5bnhxf Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i5bnk Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i5bnkp Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i7bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i7bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i7bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i7bnhxg Firmware by Intel

Nuc Enthusiast Nuc7i7bnkq Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc6cayh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc6cays Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i3bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i3bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i3bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i3bnhxf Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i3bnk Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i5bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i5bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i5bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i5bnhxf Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i5bnk Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i5bnkp Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i7bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i7bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i7bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i7bnhxg Firmware by Intel

Nuc Kit Nuc7i7bnkq Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i3bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i3bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i3bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i3bnhxf Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i3bnk Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i5bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i5bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i5bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i5bnhxf Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i5bnk Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i5bnkp Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i7bnb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i7bnh Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i7bnhx1 Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i7bnhxg Firmware by Intel

Nuc Mini Pc Nuc7i7bnkq Firmware by Intel

Nuc Rugged Kit Nuc8cchb Firmware by Intel

Nuc Rugged Kit Nuc8cchbn Firmware by Intel

Nuc Rugged Kit Nuc8cchkr Firmware by Intel

Nuc Rugged Kit Nuc8cchkrn Firmware by Intel