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CVE-2022-26345: Medium Vulnerability in Intel OpenMP

CVE-2022-26345 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Intel's OpenMP component that could allow privilege escalation via local access. Organizations should address this vulnerability in their patch cycles.

MEDIUMCVSS 6.7 · Published February 16, 2023

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CVE-2022-26345 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting the Intel(R) oneAPI Toolkit OpenMP prior to version 2022.1. This vulnerability allows an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access. The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 6.7, indicating a medium level of risk. Organizations using affected versions of the product should plan for timely remediation.

The vulnerability has been classified under CWE-427, which pertains to uncontrolled search path elements. This classification highlights the potential for attackers to manipulate the search path to gain unauthorized access or control over the system.

The vulnerability was published on February 16, 2023. Given its nature, organizations are urged to prioritize patching to mitigate risks associated with this vulnerability. Failure to address it could result in unauthorized access and other security issues.

Risk to organizations includes the potential for unauthorized privilege escalation that could compromise sensitive data. As of now, there are no known exploits in the wild, but the presence of this vulnerability poses a serious threat that organizations cannot afford to ignore.

Vulnerability Details

The vulnerability is characterized by an uncontrolled search path element in the Intel(R) oneAPI Toolkit OpenMP before version 2022.1. The CVSS score from the NVD is 7.3, suggesting a higher severity level when considering factors like attack complexity and user interaction requirements.

The attack vector is local, meaning an attacker would need local access to exploit the vulnerability. The attack complexity is rated as low, while the privilege required is also low, indicating that an attacker with basic access could leverage this vulnerability successfully.

The impacts of this vulnerability are significant, with high potential consequences for confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Organizations should be aware that a successful exploit could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information and disruption of services.

Technical Analysis

The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of the search path, which allows an attacker to inject malicious elements. The attack vector is strictly local, meaning that the attacker needs access to the physical machine or an environment where the software runs.

Due to the high attack complexity, user interaction is required for exploitation, as users must execute the affected program in a vulnerable setup. The confidentiality impact is high, as sensitive data may be exposed, while integrity and availability impacts are also high, potentially leading to significant operational disruptions.

Risk & Impact Analysis

Organizations that deploy the Intel(R) oneAPI Toolkit OpenMP are at risk of unauthorized privilege escalation due to this vulnerability. The blast radius could extend to critical systems that rely on this toolkit, making it imperative to address the issue without delay.

Given the medium severity rating, organizations should incorporate this vulnerability into their priority patch cycle. The presence of this vulnerability indicates a significant risk, particularly in environments where sensitive operations or data are involved.

The urgency for remediation is underscored by the high potential impact across confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Organizations must assess their exposure and plan accordingly to mitigate the risks posed by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Status

Signal

Status

Known Exploit

No

Public PoC

No

Actively Exploited

No

Ransomware Use

No

Affected Versions

Affected versions include all versions of Intel's OpenMP toolkit prior to 2022.1. Organizations are advised to review their deployments and ensure that they are using the patched version to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability.

Mitigation & Remediation

Intel has provided updates to address this vulnerability. Organizations should upgrade to version 2022.1 or later of the Intel(R) oneAPI Toolkit OpenMP. If immediate patching is not possible, consider applying configuration hardening measures and restricting access to vulnerable systems.

Organizations can also benefit from conducting regular security assessments, including penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses.

Detection Guidance

Monitoring for unusual access patterns or unauthorized changes to the OpenMP configuration can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Maintain logs of user access and system changes to facilitate incident response.

AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight

CVE-2022-26345 represents a significant risk for organizations using the Intel(R) oneAPI Toolkit OpenMP. Security teams should learn from this incident and enhance their security posture to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future. Regular updates and thorough security reviews are essential.

For more in-depth strategies, organizations may refer to the following resources: penetration testing methodology, vulnerability management program design, and API penetration testing guide for best practices in securing applications.

Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.

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