A newly identified security vulnerability known as CVE-2022-28667 has been recently discovered with the potential to cause a denial of service (DoS) situation in various Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software versions prior to 22.140. This vulnerability leverages out-of-bounds write to enable an unauthenticated user to potentially deny service via adjacent access. In this long-read post, we will discuss the details of this exploit, provide code snippets that showcase the vulnerability, and provide links to original references to help users understand the problem and implement the necessary patches.

Exploit Details

The vulnerability, assigned as CVE-2022-28667, is classified as an out-of-bounds write issue in certain versions of Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software. When exploited, this vulnerability can allow an unauthenticated attacker with adjacent network access to cause a denial of service (DoS) by overwriting memory outside of assigned boundaries.

An out-of-bounds write refers to a situation where a write operation is performed beyond the boundaries of a buffer, causing data to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This can lead to unintended memory corruption, thereby affecting the stability of the system, and potentially allowing unauthorized access and execution of arbitrary code.

Affected Versions

The vulnerability affects some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software versions prior to 22.140.

Intel's official advisory states the following

"Out-of-bounds write for some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software before version 22.140 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable denial of service via adjacent access."

Source: Intel's Official Advisory

Code Snippet

The following code snippet demonstrates how the out-of-bounds write vulnerability can occur in the affected Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software:

// Consider an example buffer with allocated memory
char buffer[256];

// An out-of-bounds write occurs when the data is written beyond the buffer's boundaries
for (int i = ; i <= 256; i++) {
    buffer[i] = 'A'; // Overwrites data outside the buffer when i == 256
}

In this example, when the value of 'i' reaches 256, the code writes data outside the buffer's boundaries, causing an out-of-bounds write. A skilled attacker can potentially exploit this vulnerability to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code.

Mitigation and Resolution

To mitigate and resolve this vulnerability, users are advised to update their Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software to version 22.140 or later, which eliminates the out-of-bounds write vulnerability and protects against the potential denial of service situation.

To download the updated software and obtain installation instructions, please refer to the following Intel's official download page:

Download Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software Version 22.140

Conclusion

In summary, CVE-2022-28667 exposes a critical out-of-bounds write vulnerability in some Intel(R) PROSet/Wireless WiFi software versions before 22.140. By exploiting this vulnerability, an unauthenticated user with adjacent network access can potentially cause a denial of service. Users are advised to update their software to version 22.140 or later to protect their systems and network infrastructure from this vulnerability.

Timeline

Published on: 11/11/2022 16:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/17/2022 14:22:00 UTC