CVE-2023-5447
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Synaptics Hardware Support App (SynHsaService) allows attackers to cause a denial of service by triggering a use-after-free condition due to missing lock checks. It affects systems running vulnerable versions of Synaptics fingerprint drivers. The service crash prevents fingerprint authentication functionality.
💻 Affected Systems
- Synaptics Hardware Support App (SynHsaService)
- Synaptics Fingerprint Drivers
⚠️ 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 fingerprint authentication functionality, potentially requiring system reboot to restore service.
Likely Case
Temporary disruption of fingerprint authentication until service restarts automatically or manually.
If Mitigated
No impact if patched or workarounds applied; service continues normal operation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access to trigger the condition. No public exploit code has been released as of analysis.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: October 2023 security update
Vendor Advisory: https://www.synaptics.com/sites/default/files/2023-10/fingerprint-driver-HSAService-security-brief-2023-10-13.pdf
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download latest Synaptics fingerprint driver from official website. 2. Install the updated driver package. 3. Restart the system to ensure service updates take effect.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable SynHsaService
windowsTemporarily disable the vulnerable service to prevent exploitation
sc stop SynHsaService
sc config SynHsaService start= disabled
Restrict service permissions
windowsLimit which users can interact with the service
sc sdset SynHsaService D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;IU)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;SU)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized execution of code that could trigger the vulnerability
- Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to monitor for service crashes or abnormal termination patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Synaptics driver version in Device Manager > Biometric devices > Synaptics Fingerprint Sensor > Driver tabCheck Version:
wmic path win32_pnpentity where "caption like '%Synaptics%Fingerprint%'" get caption,driverdate,driverversionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify driver version is October 2023 or later and check service is running normally (sc query SynHsaService)📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Event ID 7034 in Windows System Log: 'SynHsaService service terminated unexpectedly'
- Multiple service crash events in short time period
Network Indicators:
- No network indicators - this is a local service vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="Windows" AND event_id=7034 AND service_name="SynHsaService"