CVE-2017-15302
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn CPUID CPU-Z through 1.81, there are improper access rights to a kernel-mode driver (e.g., cpuz143_x64.sys for version 1.43) that can result in information disclosure or elevation of privileges, because of an arbitrary read of any physical address via ioctl 0x9C402604. Any application running on the system (Windows), including sandboxed users, can issue an ioctl to this driver without any validation. Furthermore, the driver can map any physical page on the system and returns the allocated map page address to the user: that results in an information leak and EoP. NOTE: the vendor indicates that the arbitrary read itself is intentional behavior (for ACPI scan functionality); the security issue is the lack of an ACL.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceCPU-Z kernel-mode driver (cpuz143_x64.sys) exposes an ioctl (0x9C402604) that allows arbitrary physical memory reads without any access control. Any user-mode application—including sandboxed or low-privilege processes—can trigger this ioctl to read any physical address, enabling information disclosure and local privilege escalation. The vendor acknowledges the arbitrary read is intentional for ACPI scanning but the missing ACL is the security flaw.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 1.81CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate CPU-Z installationSearch for cpu-z executable (cpu-z.exe or cpuz.exe) in typical installation directories such as C:\Program Files\CPU-Z or C:\Program Files (x86)\CPU-Z, or check the Add/Remove Programs list.Affected if CPU-Z is installed on the system
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Identify installed CPU-Z versionRight-click the cpu-z.exe file, select Properties, and check the File version on the Details tab. Alternatively, run cpu-z.exe and note the version displayed in the application title bar or about section.Affected if The version is 1.81 or lower (v1.81, v1.80, v1.79, etc.)
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Check for vulnerable driver presenceSearch for kernel driver files matching cpuz*.sys in C:\Windows\System32\drivers, C:\Program Files\CPU-Z, or C:\Program Files (x86)\CPU-Z. Common names include cpuz143_x64.sys, cpuz142_x64.sys, or similar version-patterned names.Affected if The driver file cpuz143_x64.sys or a similar cpuz driver is present on the system
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Verify driver loaded statusOpen an elevated command prompt and run 'sc query cpuz' or check Device Manager for hidden/non-plug-and-play devices. Also examine driver signature status using 'sigcheck -i <driverpath>' or verify the driver loads at boot via registry keys under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services.Affected if The vulnerable cpuz driver is currently loaded or set to load at startup
A system is affected if CPU-Z version 1.81 or lower is installed and the cpuz143_x64.sys (or similar) driver is present or loaded on the system, allowing unprivileged access to ioctl 0x9C402604 for arbitrary physical memory reads.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply proper ACLs to restrict ioctl 0x9C402604 to privileged processes only; alternatively, remove or block the vulnerable driver if not required, and monitor for its loading.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-15302 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-15302 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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