CVE-2023-41092
📋 TL;DR
An unchecked return value vulnerability in SDM firmware for Intel Stratix 10 and Agilex 7 FPGAs allows authenticated attackers with adjacent network access to potentially cause denial of service. This affects systems using these specific Intel FPGA products before firmware version 23.3.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel Stratix 10 FPGAs
- Intel Agilex 7 FPGAs
⚠️ Manual Verification Required
This CVE does not have specific version information in our database, so automatic vulnerability detection cannot determine if your system is affected.
Why? The CVE database entry doesn't specify which versions are vulnerable (no version ranges provided by the vendor/NVD).
🔒 Custom verification scripts are available for registered users. Sign up free to download automated test scripts.
- Review the CVE details at NVD
- Check vendor security advisories for your specific version
- Test if the vulnerability is exploitable in your environment
- Consider updating to the latest version as a precaution
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete denial of service for FPGA functionality, disrupting critical operations in industrial, networking, or embedded systems that rely on these FPGAs.
Likely Case
Temporary service disruption requiring system reboot or FPGA reconfiguration, impacting availability of FPGA-dependent functions.
If Mitigated
No impact if proper network segmentation and access controls prevent adjacent attackers from reaching vulnerable systems.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated access and adjacent network positioning. CWE-252 indicates missing error handling that could be triggered via specific conditions.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 23.3 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01007.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download SDM firmware version 23.3 or later from Intel. 2. Follow Intel's FPGA firmware update procedures. 3. Reboot/reconfigure affected FPGA systems after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network segmentation
allIsolate FPGA management interfaces to prevent adjacent network access from untrusted systems
Access control hardening
allRestrict authentication to FPGA management interfaces to only authorized administrators
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate FPGA management interfaces from general network traffic
- Monitor FPGA management interfaces for unusual access patterns or authentication attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check SDM firmware version on Intel Stratix 10 or Agilex 7 FPGAs via Intel Quartus Prime or device management interfaceCheck Version:
Use Intel Quartus Prime 'jtagconfig' or device-specific management commands to query firmware versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm SDM firmware version is 23.3 or higher after update📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed authentication attempts on FPGA management interfaces
- Unexpected FPGA resets or reconfiguration events
- SDM firmware error messages
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to FPGA management ports from non-admin systems
- Multiple connection attempts to FPGA management interfaces
SIEM Query:
source="fpga_management" AND (event_type="authentication_failure" OR event_type="firmware_error")