A recent security vulnerability, CVE-2022-26124, has been discovered in the BIOS firmware for certain Intel(R) NUC Boards, Intel(R) NUC 8 Boards, Intel(R) NUC 8 Rugged Boards, and Intel(R) NUC 8 Rugged Kits. This vulnerability may allow a privileged user to potentially escalate their privileges via local access. The affected versions are those below CHAPLCEL.0059.

The vulnerability is related to Improper Buffer Restrictions, which can lead to unintended buffer overflows and have further consequences depending on the implementation.

In this post, we will cover the details of this vulnerability, along with code snippets, links to original references, and an explanation of the potential exploits associated with this issue. The language is simple and focused on a North American audience.

Vulnerability Details

The main issue in this vulnerability, CVE-2022-26124, lies in the way certain BIOS firmware versions handle memory buffer restrictions. Due to improper buffer restrictions, a privileged user with local access to an affected system can potentially overwrite critical memory sections, leading to an escalation of privilege.

The affected products are

* Intel(R) NUC Boards
* Intel(R) NUC 8 Boards
* Intel(R) NUC 8 Rugged Boards
* Intel(R) NUC 8 Rugged Kits

The exploitation of this vulnerability requires local access to the vulnerable system, meaning an attacker needs to have physical access or a remote connection with sufficient privileges on the target system.

Exploit

An example scenario of exploiting this vulnerability might involve a local user with admin rights abusing their privileges to modify critical memory sections. The user could inject malicious code or alter critical values, resulting in an escalation of privilege.

Here's a code snippet illustrating a hypothetical exploitation of this vulnerability

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

void exploit_function(char* input_buffer) {
  char bios_buffer[256];

  printf("Exploiting Improper Buffer Restrictions...\n");
  strcpy(bios_buffer, input_buffer);

  // Additional code executing malicious operations
  // ...
}

int main(int argc, char** argv) {
  if (argc > 1) {
    char user_input[1024];

    strcpy(user_input, argv[1]);
    exploit_function(user_input);
  } else {
    printf("Please provide a local access input...\n");
  }

  return ;
}

To mitigate this vulnerability, it is strongly advised to update the affected BIOS firmware versions to the latest version, CHAPLCEL.0059, which resolves the Improper Buffer Restrictions problem. Download the latest firmware version for your specific Intel product from the Intel website.

For further information and original references, please consult the following resources

- Official Intel Security Advisory (SA-ID: INTEL-SA-00552): https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisories/intel-sa-00552.html
- CVE-2022-26124 Detail: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-26124

Conclusion

CVE-2022-26124 is a critical security vulnerability affecting BIOS firmware versions for specific Intel(R) NUC Boards, Intel(R) NUC 8 Boards, Intel(R) NUC 8 Rugged Boards, and Intel(R) NUC 8 Rugged Kits. This vulnerability, due to improper buffer restrictions, can lead to privilege escalation via local access by an attacker.

To protect your systems from this vulnerability, it is crucial to update the BIOS firmware to the latest version (CHAPLCEL.0059). Be sure to stay informed about security updates and advisories to maintain the safety and security of your devices and networks.

Timeline

Published on: 11/11/2022 16:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/17/2022 15:30:00 UTC