CVE-2022-38099: Escalation of Privilege Vulnerability in Intel NUC 11 Compute Elements BIOS Firmware

A new vulnerability (CVE-2022-38099) has been discovered that affects some Intel(R) NUC 11 Compute Elements BIOS firmware. With this vulnerability, an attacker with privileged access could exploit Improper Input Validation in the BIOS firmware before version EBTGL357.0065, potentially leading to an escalation of privilege via local access.

In this post, we will discuss the details of the vulnerability, show a code snippet that demonstrates the exploit, provide links to the original references, and walk through the remediation steps.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability CVE-2022-38099 is caused by an incorrect input validation in the BIOS firmware of the affected Intel(R) NUC 11 Compute Elements. The flaw can be exploited by a local attacker with administrative rights on the target system, potentially enabling the attacker to escalate their privileges further, breach sensitive information, or compromise the integrity of the system.

Affected firmware versions are those before EBTGL357.0065. If your system has a version prior to this, you may be at risk.

Code Snippet

The following code snippet is a simplified demonstration of how an attacker could exploit this vulnerability. Please note that this code example is shared for educational purposes only and should not be used maliciously.

import os

def exploit_vulnerability():
    # Precondition: Attacker has administrative rights on the target system
    
    # Step 1: Access vulnerable BIOS firmware functions
    vulnerable_function = access_vulnerable_bios_function()

    # Step 2: Craft a malicious input to trigger the vulnerability
    malicious_input = craft_malicious_input()

    # Step 3: Exploit the vulnerability by passing the malicious input
    exploit_result = vulnerable_function(malicious_input)

    if exploit_result:
        print("Exploit successful. Privilege escalation achieved.")
    else:
        print("Exploit failed.")

def access_vulnerable_bios_function():
    # Access the vulnerable BIOS firmware function (simplified)
    pass

def craft_malicious_input():
    # Craft a malicious input that will exploit the improper input validation
    pass

if __name__ == "__main__":
    exploit_vulnerability()

Here are the original references to help you get more details about CVE-2022-38099

1. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) website entry for CVE-2022-38099: CVE-2022-38099

2. Intel's official Security Advisory (INTEL-SA-00640): INTEL-SA-00640

To protect your system against this vulnerability, follow the remediation steps below

1. Check the BIOS firmware version on your Intel(R) NUC 11 Compute Element system. Verify if the firmware version is before EBTGL357.0065.

2. If your system's firmware is affected, navigate to Intel's BIOS firmware download page and download the updated BIOS firmware version EBTGL357.0065.

3. Update your system BIOS following Intel's guidelines: Updating the BIOS on Intel(R) NUC and Intel(R) Compute Stick

Verify that your system is now running the updated BIOS firmware version EBTGL357.0065.

By taking these steps, you'll be protecting your system from potential exploitation of this vulnerability. As always, it is essential to stay vigilant and maintain regular security updates for all your software and firmware to minimize the risk of being affected by other vulnerabilities.

Timeline

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