CVE-2022-27187: Escalating Privilege with Uncontrolled Search Path Element in Intel Quartus Prime Standard Edition Software

A recently discovered vulnerability, identified as CVE-2022-27187, is present in previous versions of Intel's Quartus Prime Standard Edition software. This vulnerability may potentially allow an authenticated user to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to resources via local access. In this post, we will discuss the exploit details, provide code snippets to demonstrate the vulnerability, and link to original references. The purpose of this post is to make users aware of the issue and encourage upgrading to the latest version of the software to avoid any potential security risks.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability arises from an uncontrolled search path element in the Intel Quartus Prime Standard Edition software prior to version 21.1 Patch .02std. The uncontrolled search path element typically exists in software that does not securely manage its dependencies, leading to the possibility of privilege escalation for authenticated users with local access to exploit any illicitly placed code files.

There could be several ways to exploit this vulnerability, but one potential method is by placing a malicious dynamic-link library (DLL) file in a directory that is included in the victim's system PATH environment variable. The malicious DLL would share the same name as a legitimate DLL that the Quartus Prime software depends on. When the victim's system attempts to load the legitimate DLL, it would unintentionally load the malicious DLL instead, executing any nefarious code contained within.

Below is a simple example of how an attacker may craft a malicious DLL to exploit this vulnerability

// mal_dll.c
#include <Windows.h>

BOOL APIENTRY DllMain(HMODULE hModule, DWORD ul_reason_for_call, LPVOID lpReserved)
{
    switch (ul_reason_for_call)
    {
    case DLL_PROCESS_ATTACH:
        MessageBox(NULL, "Malicious DLL Loaded", "CVE-2022-27187", MB_OK | MB_ICONWARNING);
        break;
    case DLL_THREAD_ATTACH:
    case DLL_THREAD_DETACH:
    case DLL_PROCESS_DETACH:
        break;
    }
    return TRUE;
}

This example demonstrates a simple malicious DLL that, when loaded, displays a message box indicating that the malicious DLL has been loaded, simulating the potential for further exploit.

Original References

Intel has acknowledged this vulnerability in their own security advisory, which can be read at the following link:

* Intel-SA-00634

Additionally, the official entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database for CVE-2022-27187 is available here:

* CVE-2022-27187

Mitigation

To protect your system against this vulnerability, upgrade to the latest version of Intel's Quartus Prime Standard Edition software, which is not affected by this issue. Users can obtain the latest version of the software from Intel's official website:

* Intel Quartus Prime Standard Edition Download

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is imperative to ensure that you are using the latest version of Intel's Quartus Prime Standard Edition software to prevent potential exploitation of the CVE-2022-27187 vulnerability. By staying updated and being aware of potential security risks, users can protect themselves from potential threats and maintain the integrity of their systems.

Timeline

Published on: 11/11/2022 16:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/16/2022 02:51:00 UTC