Recently, the CVE-2021-33158 vulnerability was discovered, which could potentially allow a local attacker with privileged system access to escalate their privileges further. With the information given in this post, users can understand the vulnerability details, its impacts, and possible mitigation actions.

Description of the vulnerability

The CVE-2021-33158 vulnerability exists in Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and the Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I225 Manageability Firmware. This is due to improper neutralization while processing certain packets, allowing a local attacker with privileged system access to exploit the vulnerability and cause escalation of privilege.

The main outline of exploiting CVE-2021-33158 consists of the following steps

1. An attacker with privileged local access sends a specially crafted packet to the Ethernet Adapter or Controller I225.

Due to improper neutralization, the crafted packet triggers the vulnerability.

3. As a result, the attacker can escalate their privileges and gain more control over the affected system.

For a better understanding, here's a code snippet that demonstrates a possible exploit

import socket

def create_exploit_packet():
    # Crafting the malicious packet
    exploit_data = b'\x00'  # Add the malicious data content here
    return exploit_data

def send_exploit_packet(packet_data):
    target_ip = "192.168.1.1"  # Replace with the target IP address
    target_port = 12345  # Replace with the target port number

    # Creating a socket and connecting to the target system
    sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
    sock.connect((target_ip, target_port))

    # Sending the exploit packet
    sock.send(packet_data)
    sock.close()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    packet_data = create_exploit_packet()
    send_exploit_packet(packet_data)

Note: the code snippet above is just a demonstration and may not work as-is.

Original references

For more information regarding this vulnerability, as well as possible mitigation actions, please refer to the following Intel Security Advisory:
- Intel-SA-00463

And the CVE itself

- CVE-2021-33158

Mitigations and recommendations

To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2021-33158, it is highly recommended to follow the guidelines issued by Intel in their Security Advisory. In general, the key recommendations are:

Conclusion

The CVE-2021-33158 is an improper neutralization vulnerability affecting some Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I225 Manageability firmware and can be exploited by an attacker with privileged local access to escalate their privileges on the affected systems.

To protect against this vulnerability, it is essential to update the affected firmware and drivers to their latest versions and restrict privileged access to trusted users only.

Timeline

Published on: 02/23/2024 21:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 05/16/2024 21:15:49 UTC