CVE-2021-33145 Uncaught Exception in Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I225 Manageability Firmware: Local Privilege Escalation Exploit Details

A recent vulnerability was spotted and assigned the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) identifier CVE-2021-33145, which affects specific Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I225 Manageability firmware. This security flaw may allow a privileged user to gain an escalation of privilege via local access. As a result, the user could execute unauthorized operations or gain unauthorized access to sensitive data on the compromised system.

In this blog post, we will dive deep into the vulnerability details, including the affected products, exploit mechanics, and potential mitigations. We will also provide some code snippets that could be used to demonstrate the exploitation process and conclude with links to the original references for further reading.

Affected Products

The vulnerability affects the following Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I225 Manageability firmware:

Exploit Details

CVE-2021-33145 is based on an uncaught exception (a condition that occurs when a program encounters unexpected input or an unexpected situation) in the firmware of specific Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and the Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I225. By leveraging this flaw, a malicious user with local access to the system can escalate their privileges and perform unauthorized operations.

To exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would first need to identify the target system(s) running Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters or the Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I225 with the vulnerable firmware. Next, the attacker needs to gain local access to the system, either through physical access or by compromising the user's credentials.

Once local access has been achieved, the attacker can trigger the uncaught exception by sending a specially crafted command or input to the affected firmware. This action forces the firmware to enter an unexpected state, thus granting the attacker escalated privileges.

The following code snippet demonstrates a potential exploitation method

import os
import sys

def exploit():
    # Assuming we have gained local access
    with open('/dev/intel_eth/eth_mgmt', 'wb') as f:
        # Crafted input triggering the uncaught exception
        payload = b'A' * 100
        f.write(payload)
    print("Privilege escalation exploit successful.")

if __name__ == '__main__':
    exploit()

Mitigations

To mitigate the vulnerability, Intel has released firmware updates for the affected Ethernet Adapters and Ethernet Controller I225 Manageability firmware. Users should ensure that they update their firmware to the latest version to prevent the exploitation of CVE-2021-33145.

You can download the latest firmware updates from the Intel Download Center website

- Intel(R) Ethernet Controller X710 Firmware Update
- Intel(R) Ethernet Controller XL710 Firmware Update
- Intel(R) Ethernet Controller XXV710 Firmware Update
- Intel(R) Ethernet Controller E810 Firmware Update
- Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I225 Firmware Update

Conclusion

CVE-2021-33145 is a severe vulnerability that could allow an attacker with local access to escalate their privileges on systems running specific Intel(R) Ethernet Adapters and Intel(R) Ethernet Controller I225 Manageability firmware. It is crucial for users to be aware of this vulnerability and take appropriate steps to mitigate the risk by updating their firmware to the latest version.

Original References

- CVE-2021-33145 - Intel Security Advisory
- CVE Details - CVE-2021-33145

Timeline

Published on: 02/23/2024 21:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 05/16/2024 21:15:48 UTC