CVE-2022-43505 Overview
CVE-2022-43505 is a BIOS firmware vulnerability affecting a wide range of Intel processors, including Core, Xeon, Pentium, Celeron, and Atom processor families. The vulnerability stems from insufficient control flow management in the BIOS firmware, which may allow a privileged user with local access to potentially enable denial of service conditions on affected systems.
This vulnerability requires local access and high privileges to exploit, limiting the attack surface to scenarios where an attacker has already gained administrative or root-level access to the target system. While the impact is limited to availability (denial of service), the widespread nature of affected processors makes this a significant concern for enterprise and data center environments running Intel-based infrastructure.
Critical Impact
A privileged local attacker can exploit improper control flow management in Intel BIOS firmware to cause denial of service, potentially disrupting critical system operations across a broad range of Intel processor families spanning multiple generations.
Affected Products
- Intel Core i3, i5, i7, i9 processors (7th through 12th generation)
- Intel Xeon Scalable processors (Gold, Platinum, Silver, Bronze series)
- Intel Xeon D, E3, E5, E7, and W series processors
- Intel Pentium Gold, Pentium Silver, Pentium J/N series
- Intel Celeron G, J, N series processors
- Intel Atom C3000, X5, X7 series processors
Discovery Timeline
- August 11, 2023 - CVE CVE-2022-43505 published to NVD
- November 21, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2022-43505
Vulnerability Analysis
This vulnerability is classified as an insufficient control flow management issue (CWE-691) within the BIOS firmware of Intel processors. Control flow management vulnerabilities occur when software fails to properly validate or control the execution path of code, allowing attackers to influence program behavior in unintended ways.
The vulnerability requires local access to the affected system and high privileges (administrative or root level) to exploit. This attack vector significantly limits the exploitability in real-world scenarios, as an attacker would first need to compromise the target system through other means before being able to leverage this vulnerability.
The impact is confined to system availability, with no evidence of confidentiality or integrity compromise. However, in server and data center environments, a denial of service condition affecting BIOS firmware could result in system instability, unexpected reboots, or complete system unavailability requiring manual intervention.
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2022-43505 is insufficient control flow management within the BIOS firmware codebase. Control flow integrity mechanisms are designed to ensure that program execution follows only legitimate paths defined by the original software design. When these mechanisms are insufficient, attackers with appropriate access can manipulate execution flow to cause unintended behavior.
In this case, the insufficient control flow management in the BIOS firmware allows a privileged user to trigger conditions that result in denial of service. The specific technical details of the flawed code paths have not been publicly disclosed, but the vulnerability affects the low-level firmware that initializes hardware and prepares the system for operating system boot.
Attack Vector
The attack requires local access to the system with high privileges (administrative or root access). An attacker with these privileges could potentially interact with BIOS firmware interfaces, memory regions, or system management mode (SMM) to trigger the vulnerable code paths.
The attack scenario would typically involve:
- An attacker first gains privileged access to the target system through other means
- The attacker then interacts with BIOS firmware interfaces or memory regions
- Exploitation of insufficient control flow management leads to denial of service
- The system may become unresponsive, crash, or require manual recovery
Since no verified exploit code is publicly available for this vulnerability, the specific exploitation mechanics remain undisclosed. For detailed technical information, refer to the Intel Security Advisory SA-00813.
Detection Methods for CVE-2022-43505
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected system reboots or BIOS-level crashes without clear cause
- System Management Mode (SMM) anomalies or unexpected firmware behavior
- Privileged processes attempting to access BIOS-related memory regions or interfaces
- Unusual activity from administrative accounts targeting low-level system components
Detection Strategies
- Monitor for privileged access to BIOS update utilities or firmware interfaces
- Implement logging for System Management Interrupt (SMI) events and BIOS-related operations
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of monitoring firmware-level activity
- Review audit logs for administrative actions targeting BIOS configuration or firmware components
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable UEFI Secure Boot and monitor for unauthorized firmware modifications
- Implement hardware security modules (HSM) or Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) for firmware integrity verification
- Configure SIEM rules to alert on unusual patterns of privileged access to system firmware
- Regularly verify BIOS/UEFI firmware versions against known-good baselines
How to Mitigate CVE-2022-43505
Immediate Actions Required
- Review and inventory all Intel processors in your environment against the affected product list
- Apply the latest BIOS firmware updates from your system or motherboard manufacturer
- Ensure privileged access to systems is strictly controlled and monitored
- Verify that only authorized personnel have administrative access to affected systems
Patch Information
Intel has released BIOS firmware updates to address this vulnerability. System administrators should obtain the appropriate firmware updates from their OEM or motherboard manufacturer, as BIOS updates are typically distributed through the hardware vendor rather than directly from Intel.
Consult the Intel Security Advisory SA-00813 for complete details on affected processor models and firmware update availability. Additionally, NetApp Security Advisory NTAP-20230824-0001 provides guidance for NetApp systems affected by this vulnerability.
Workarounds
- Restrict physical and logical access to affected systems to trusted administrators only
- Implement the principle of least privilege for all user accounts
- Enable BIOS write protection features where available to prevent unauthorized firmware modifications
- Consider network segmentation to isolate critical systems with affected processors
# Check current BIOS version on Linux systems
dmidecode -s bios-version
# Verify processor model for affected systems
cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep -i "model name"
# Check for available firmware updates (system-specific)
fwupdmgr get-updates
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
