Aorus Graphics EngineApplication · Gigabyte

CVE-2018-19323

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-12-21

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.26 / 1.57 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

In the wild Ransomware Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

The GDrv low-level driver in GIGABYTE APP Center v1.05.21 and earlier, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE before 1.57, XTREME GAMING ENGINE before 1.26, and OC GURU II v2.08 exposes functionality to read and write Machine Specific Registers (MSRs).

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The GDrv low-level driver in multiple GIGABYTE utilities (APP Center, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE, XTREME GAMING ENGINE, OC GURU II) exposes raw MSR (Machine Specific Register) read/write functionality to user-mode processes. MSRs control critical CPU operations including performance settings, power management, and security features. This unrestricted access allows local attackers to potentially escalate privileges, bypass security mechanisms, or cause system instability.

MitigationApply vendor updates: upgrade GIGABYTE APP Center to v1.05.22 or later, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE to v1.57 or later, XTREME GAMING ENGINE to v1.26 or later, and OC GURU II to v2.09 or later. Remove or disable the vulnerable driver on systems where updates are unavailable.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Aorus Graphics EngineApplication

Affected:< 1.57

Gigabyte App CenterApplication

Affected:<= 1.05.21

Oc Guru IiApplication

Affected:= 2.08

Xtreme Gaming EngineApplication

Affected:< 1.26

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify installed Gigabyte graphics software

Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use PowerShell: Get-WmiObject Win32_Product | Where-Object {$_.Name -match 'Gigabyte|Aorus|OC Guru|XTREME'}

Affected if Any of the following utilities appear: Gigabyte App Center, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE, XTREME GAMING ENGINE, or OC GURU II
Check version of Gigabyte App Center

In Programs and Features, locate 'Gigabyte App Center' and note the version in the Version column, or check the installation directory for version info

Affected if Version is 1.05.21 or lower
Check version of AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE

In Programs and Features, locate 'AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE' and note the version, or right-click the application shortcut and view Properties > Details

Affected if Version is below 1.57
Check version of XTREME GAMING ENGINE

In Programs and Features, locate 'Xtreme Gaming Engine' and note the version, or check the application's about/help section

Affected if Version is below 1.26
Check version of OC GURU II

In Programs and Features, locate 'OC Guru II' and note the version, or check the application's interface for version info

Affected if Version is exactly 2.08
Verify GDrv driver presence

Open Device Manager, select 'Show hidden devices', expand 'Non-Plug and Play Drivers', look for GDrv, or run: sc query GDrv in Command Prompt

Affected if GDrv driver is listed as loaded or present in the system

You are affected if any Gigabyte utility (App Center, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE, XTREME GAMING ENGINE, or OC GURU II) with a version matching the affected ranges is installed, or if the GDrv driver is present on the system.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.26 / 1.57 or later

Fixed in 1.261.57

Interim mitigation

Apply vendor updates: upgrade GIGABYTE APP Center to v1.05.22 or later, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE to v1.57 or later, XTREME GAMING ENGINE to v1.26 or later, and OC GURU II to v2.09 or later. Remove or disable the vulnerable driver on systems where updates are unavailable.

Recommended fix High confidence

AORUS Graphics Engine >= 1.57, Xtreme Gaming Engine >= 1.26, Gigabyte App Center > 1.05.21 (latest available)

Identify which Gigabyte/AORUS utility is installed from the affected list (AORUS Graphics Engine, Gigabyte App Center, OC Guru II, or Xtreme Gaming Engine)
Navigate to the official Gigabyte support website at www.gigabyte.com
Locate the downloaded drivers or utilities section for your specific product/model
Download and install the latest version of the affected utility: For AORUS Graphics Engine, install version 1.57 or later; For Xtreme Gaming Engine, install version 1.26 or later; For Gigabyte App Center, install a version greater than 1.05.21; For OC Guru II, check for a newer version or consider discontinuing use if no update is available
Restart the system after installation to ensure the driver loads with the corrected version
Verify the installed version matches the fixed release by checking About/Version information in the application

Caveat Older versions of these utilities may lose compatibility with legacy hardware or specific features; ensure your GPU/model is supported by the new version before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Aorus Graphics Engine Exploited in the wild — priority engagement

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing6.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

20.0 hours of engineering $3,500

Get it fixed fast

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

seclists.orgProof of Concept
www.gigabyte.comVendor Advisory
seclists.orgExploitMailing ListThird Party Advisory
www.securityfocus.comBroken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.secureauth.comBroken LinkExploitThird Party Advisory
www.gigabyte.comProduct
www.cisa.govUS Government Resource
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-19323 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2018-19323?

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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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

Exploited in the wildOn CISA’s known-exploited list · agencies must fix by 2022-11-14

A fix existsUpgrade to 1.26 / 1.57 or later

Severity 9.8 Critical

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 8.5%

Affects: Aorus Graphics Engine

Remediation

Being exploited — close it fast

Fix this in Aorus Graphics Engine 20 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $3,500

Get it fixed fast See the full breakdown ↓

This CVE is on CISA’s actively-exploited list, so the clock is real — a vetted specialist can deliver a reviewed fix for your staging environment quickly.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

CVSS 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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References