CVE-2022-21180: Intel Xeon E3-1585 V5 DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2022-21180 Overview

CVE-2022-21180 is an improper input validation vulnerability affecting a wide range of Intel processors. This hardware-level flaw allows an authenticated local user to potentially cause a denial of service condition. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of inputs in the processor's internal handling mechanisms, which can be exploited by a local attacker with standard user privileges to disrupt system availability.

Critical Impact

Authenticated local users can trigger denial of service conditions on affected Intel processors, potentially disrupting critical enterprise workloads and server operations.

Affected Products

• Intel Xeon E3 v5/v6 Series Processors (e.g., Xeon E3-1585 v5, Xeon E3-1535m v6)
• Intel Core 6th through 11th Generation Processors (Core i3, i5, i7, i9 families)
• Intel Xeon E and W Series Processors (e.g., Xeon E-2388G, Xeon W-1390)
• Intel Pentium Gold and Celeron G Series Processors
• Associated processor firmware for all affected hardware

Discovery Timeline

• June 15, 2022 - CVE-2022-21180 published to NVD
• May 5, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-21180

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and affects the processor at the hardware/firmware level. The flaw exists in the input validation routines within the affected Intel processors, where certain inputs are not properly validated before processing. This improper validation can be triggered by an authenticated user with local access to the system, leading to a denial of service condition that affects system availability.

The vulnerability requires local access to exploit, meaning an attacker must have legitimate user credentials and physical or logical access to the affected system. While this limits the attack surface compared to remotely exploitable vulnerabilities, it remains a significant concern for multi-user systems, virtualized environments, and cloud infrastructure where malicious insiders or compromised accounts could leverage this flaw.

The impact is limited to availability—there is no confidentiality or integrity impact associated with this vulnerability. However, in enterprise environments running critical workloads on affected processors, a denial of service attack could result in significant operational disruption.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2022-21180 lies in insufficient input validation within the processor's internal operations. When certain malformed or unexpected inputs are processed, the validation routines fail to properly reject or sanitize them, leading to processor-level exceptions or resource exhaustion that manifests as a denial of service. This is a firmware-level defect that requires microcode updates to address.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2022-21180 is local, requiring the attacker to have authenticated access to the target system. The exploitation scenario involves:

1. An attacker gains local access to a system with an affected Intel processor
2. Using low-privilege user credentials, the attacker executes specially crafted operations
3. These operations trigger the improper input validation flaw in the processor
4. The processor enters an error state or experiences resource exhaustion
5. System availability is impacted, causing denial of service

The vulnerability does not require elevated privileges to exploit—a standard authenticated user can trigger the condition. This makes it particularly concerning in shared computing environments.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-21180

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected system crashes, freezes, or reboots on systems with affected Intel processors
• Abnormal processor behavior or machine check exceptions in system logs
• Repeated denial of service conditions without obvious external network attack vectors
• Unusual local user activity patterns preceding system availability issues

Detection Strategies

• Implement hardware inventory management to identify systems running affected Intel processor models
• Monitor system logs for machine check exceptions (MCE) and processor-related error events
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying unusual processor-level behavior
• Audit local user activities for suspicious patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable and centralize hardware event logging including machine check architecture (MCA) events
• Configure alerts for repeated system availability issues on identified vulnerable hardware
• Monitor for firmware/microcode version mismatches against expected patched versions
• Implement baseline behavior monitoring to detect anomalous local user operations

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-21180

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all systems in your environment running affected Intel processors using hardware inventory tools
• Prioritize patching for systems in multi-tenant or shared computing environments
• Apply the latest Intel microcode updates through BIOS/UEFI firmware updates from your system vendor
• Consider implementing additional access controls to limit local access to critical systems

Patch Information

Intel has released microcode updates to address this vulnerability. Patches are distributed through:

• System BIOS/UEFI firmware updates from OEM vendors (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.)
• Operating system microcode packages (Linux intel-microcode package, Windows Update)
• Direct Intel Platform Update releases

Organizations should consult the Intel Security Advisory SA-00645 for detailed guidance on obtaining and applying appropriate microcode updates for their specific processor models. Additional information is available through the NetApp Security Advisory NTAP-20220624-0006.

Workarounds

• Restrict local access to affected systems to only trusted, essential personnel
• Implement strong access controls and multi-factor authentication for local system access
• Consider network segmentation to isolate critical systems with affected processors
• Enable enhanced audit logging to detect and investigate potential exploitation attempts
• Where feasible, migrate critical workloads to systems with patched firmware or unaffected processors

# Linux: Check current Intel microcode version
cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep microcode

# Linux: Update Intel microcode (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install intel-microcode

# Linux: Update Intel microcode (RHEL/CentOS)
sudo yum update microcode_ctl

# Verify microcode update after reboot
dmesg | grep microcode