CVE-2022-29893: Intel AMT Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2022-29893 Overview

CVE-2022-29893 is a high-severity improper authentication vulnerability affecting Intel Active Management Technology (AMT) firmware. This firmware-level flaw allows an authenticated user with network access to potentially escalate privileges, compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems.

Intel AMT is a hardware-based remote management feature built into Intel vPro platforms, enabling IT administrators to perform out-of-band management tasks such as remote power control, BIOS configuration, and system monitoring. Due to its privileged position in the system architecture, vulnerabilities in AMT firmware can have severe security implications, potentially allowing attackers to gain persistent, low-level access to enterprise systems.

Critical Impact

Authenticated attackers can exploit this improper authentication flaw to escalate privileges via network access, potentially gaining unauthorized control over Intel AMT-enabled systems and bypassing operating system-level security controls.

Affected Products

• Intel Active Management Technology Firmware versions before 11.8.93
• Intel Active Management Technology Firmware versions before 11.22.93
• Intel Active Management Technology Firmware versions before 11.12.93
• Intel Active Management Technology Firmware versions before 12.0.92
• Intel Active Management Technology Firmware versions before 14.1.67
• Intel Active Management Technology Firmware versions before 15.0.42
• Intel Active Management Technology Firmware versions before 16.1.25

Discovery Timeline

• November 11, 2022 - CVE-2022-29893 published to NVD
• February 5, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-29893

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from improper authentication mechanisms within the Intel AMT firmware (CWE-287). The flaw exists in the authentication handling logic that fails to properly validate user credentials or session tokens under certain conditions. When exploited, an authenticated user can bypass authentication checks designed to restrict access to privileged AMT functions.

Intel AMT operates at a firmware level below the operating system, providing hardware-based remote management capabilities. This architectural position means that successful exploitation can give attackers access to system management functions that persist across OS reinstallations and operate independently of the host operating system's security controls.

The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability is particularly concerning for enterprise environments where AMT is often enabled for remote IT management. An attacker who has obtained low-level authenticated access to the network could potentially leverage this flaw to gain administrative control over AMT-enabled systems.

Root Cause

The root cause is classified as CWE-287 (Improper Authentication). The Intel AMT firmware fails to properly authenticate users or validate authentication tokens in specific scenarios, allowing authenticated users to access functions or perform actions beyond their authorized privilege level. This authentication bypass enables privilege escalation from a standard authenticated user to a higher privilege context within the AMT management interface.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2022-29893 is network-based, requiring the attacker to have authenticated access to the target system. The exploitation path involves:

1. The attacker establishes an authenticated session with the Intel AMT interface over the network
2. The attacker crafts requests that exploit the improper authentication handling
3. The authentication bypass allows the attacker to access privileged AMT functions
4. Successful exploitation results in privilege escalation within the AMT management context

The vulnerability does not require user interaction and can be exploited with low attack complexity once authenticated network access is achieved. The impact affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the target system, as AMT provides deep hardware-level management capabilities.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-29893

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected or unauthorized connections to Intel AMT ports (typically TCP ports 16992, 16993, 16994, 16995)
• Anomalous AMT management activities such as unauthorized remote power operations or BIOS modifications
• Authentication logs showing unusual privilege escalation attempts within AMT interfaces
• Unscheduled firmware configuration changes on Intel vPro-enabled systems

Detection Strategies

• Monitor network traffic for connections to Intel AMT management ports from unauthorized sources
• Implement intrusion detection rules to identify suspicious AMT protocol communications
• Audit Intel AMT event logs for unauthorized administrative actions or configuration changes
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of monitoring firmware-level activities

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable comprehensive logging for all Intel AMT management activities
• Establish baseline behavior for AMT communications and alert on deviations
• Integrate AMT security events with SIEM solutions for centralized monitoring
• Regularly audit AMT-enabled systems for firmware version compliance

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-29893

Immediate Actions Required

• Identify all Intel AMT-enabled systems in your environment and inventory current firmware versions
• Prioritize patching systems with network-exposed AMT interfaces
• Restrict network access to Intel AMT management ports using firewall rules and network segmentation
• Review AMT provisioning settings and disable the feature on systems where remote management is not required

Patch Information

Intel has released firmware updates that address this vulnerability. Organizations should update Intel AMT firmware to the following versions or later:

• Version 11.8.93 or later for 11.8.x branch
• Version 11.12.93 or later for 11.12.x branch
• Version 11.22.93 or later for 11.22.x branch
• Version 12.0.92 or later for 12.0.x branch
• Version 14.1.67 or later for 14.x branch
• Version 15.0.42 or later for 15.x branch
• Version 16.1.25 or later for 16.x branch

Detailed patch information and firmware update instructions are available in the Intel Security Advisory SA-00610.

Workarounds

• Disable Intel AMT on systems where out-of-band management is not operationally required
• Implement strict network segmentation to isolate AMT traffic from general network access
• Configure AMT to require TLS encryption and strong authentication mechanisms
• Use dedicated management VLANs for AMT communications with appropriate access controls

# Example: Block Intel AMT ports at the firewall level (iptables)
# Block AMT HTTP/HTTPS management ports from unauthorized networks
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 16992 -s ! 10.0.0.0/24 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 16993 -s ! 10.0.0.0/24 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 16994 -s ! 10.0.0.0/24 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 16995 -s ! 10.0.0.0/24 -j DROP