CVE-2024-36294
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Intel DSA software allows authenticated local users to escalate privileges due to insecure inherited permissions. It affects systems running Intel DSA versions before 24.3.26.8. The attacker must already have local access to the system to exploit this flaw.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel(R) Driver & Support Assistant (DSA)
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An authenticated attacker gains full administrative/root privileges on the system, enabling complete system compromise, data theft, and persistence.
Likely Case
A malicious insider or compromised user account escalates to higher privileges to install malware, access sensitive data, or bypass security controls.
If Mitigated
With proper access controls and least privilege principles, impact is limited to the compromised user's scope.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local authenticated access. The CWE-277 (Insecure Inherited Permissions) suggests file/directory permission issues that could be leveraged for privilege escalation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 24.3.26.8 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01200.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Intel DSA version 24.3.26.8 or later from Intel's official website. 2. Run the installer and follow prompts. 3. Restart the system when prompted to complete installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove Intel DSA
allUninstall Intel DSA if not required, eliminating the attack surface.
Windows: Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall Intel Driver & Support Assistant
Linux: Use package manager to remove intel-dsa package
Restrict Local Access
allImplement strict access controls to limit who has local authenticated access to systems with Intel DSA.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict least privilege principles to limit what authenticated users can do
- Monitor for privilege escalation attempts and unusual process behavior
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Intel DSA version in the application interface or via system information tools.Check Version:
Windows: Check 'About' in Intel DSA GUI or registry. Linux: Check package version via dpkg -l | grep dsa or rpm -qa | grep dsaVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Intel DSA version is 24.3.26.8 or later after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected privilege escalation events
- Intel DSA process spawning with elevated privileges
- File permission changes in Intel DSA directories
Network Indicators:
- None - local attack only
SIEM Query:
Process creation where parent process is Intel DSA and privilege level changes