CVE-2023-49603
📋 TL;DR
A race condition vulnerability in Intel System Security Report and System Resources Defense firmware allows privileged local users to potentially escalate privileges. This affects systems with specific Intel firmware components, primarily impacting enterprise and server environments where local access is possible.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel System Security Report firmware
- Intel System Resources Defense firmware
⚠️ 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
A privileged attacker gains full system control, potentially compromising the entire system and accessing sensitive data or deploying persistent malware.
Likely Case
Local administrators or users with elevated privileges exploit the flaw to gain higher privileges, enabling unauthorized access to protected system resources.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, exploitation attempts are detected and contained, limiting impact to isolated systems.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local privileged access and precise timing due to race condition nature.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Check Intel SA-01203 for specific firmware updates
Vendor Advisory: https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01203.html
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Review Intel SA-01203 advisory. 2. Identify affected systems using Intel firmware. 3. Download and apply firmware updates from Intel. 4. Verify update completion through system firmware version checks.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local privileged access
allLimit local administrative privileges to trusted users only to reduce attack surface.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to minimize local privileged users
- Monitor system logs for unusual privilege escalation attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check system firmware version against Intel SA-01203 advisory; use manufacturer tools or BIOS/UEFI settings to view firmware details.Check Version:
System-specific; typically via manufacturer-provided tools or BIOS/UEFI interface (no universal command).Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm firmware version has been updated to a version listed as patched in Intel SA-01203.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected firmware access attempts
- Privilege escalation logs in system audit trails
Network Indicators:
- None - local access only
SIEM Query:
Search for events related to firmware modifications or privilege changes from local users.