CVE-2024-24985
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in certain Intel processors with Intel ACTM (Advanced Control Transfer Mitigation) allows a privileged user to access resources they shouldn't have access to, potentially enabling privilege escalation through local system access. It affects systems running vulnerable Intel processors with ACTM enabled. The risk is primarily to multi-user systems where local access could be abused.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel processors with Intel ACTM technology
⚠️ 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 local attacker could escalate to higher privileges, potentially gaining kernel-level access or compromising other user accounts on the same system.
Likely Case
A malicious insider or compromised account with local access could escalate privileges to access sensitive data or perform unauthorized actions.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and monitoring, impact is limited to the local system and doesn't enable network-based attacks.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and privileged user credentials. No public exploit code is currently available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Microcode updates as specified in Intel SA-01111
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01111.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Check Intel advisory for affected processor models. 2. Obtain microcode updates from Intel or system vendor. 3. Apply microcode update through BIOS/UEFI firmware update. 4. Reboot system to apply changes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Intel ACTM
allTemporarily disable Intel Advanced Control Transfer Mitigation feature
Check BIOS/UEFI settings for ACTM/Control Transfer Mitigation options
Restrict local access
allLimit local user access to vulnerable systems
Implement strict access controls and privilege separation
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict principle of least privilege for all user accounts
- Monitor for unusual privilege escalation attempts and local system activity
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check processor model and microcode version using: cat /proc/cpuinfo on Linux or wmic cpu get name,description on WindowsCheck Version:
Linux: dmesg | grep microcode, Windows: Get-WmiObject Win32_Processor | Select-Object Name, DescriptionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify microcode version after update matches patched version in Intel advisory📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual privilege escalation events
- Failed authorization attempts followed by successful privileged access
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local access vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="security_logs" AND (event_type="privilege_escalation" OR event_type="authorization_failure") AND user="local_user"