Usb 3.0 Creator UtilityApplication · Intel

CVE-2019-0129

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-03-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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 · unedited
Improper permissions for Intel(R) USB 3.0 Creator Utility all versions may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.

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 · moderate confidence

Local privilege escalation vulnerability in Intel(R) USB 3.0 Creator Utility due to improper permission controls. An authenticated local user could exploit misconfigured permissions to gain elevated system privileges.

MitigationApply vendor patches or updates for Intel USB 3.0 Creator Utility when available; if no patch exists, restrict user access to the utility or uninstall if not required.

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
Usb 3.0 Creator UtilityApplication
Affected:all versions

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.

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 checks

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

  1. Check if Intel USB 3.0 Creator Utility is installed
    Look for the utility in the Windows Start Menu, check Program Files folders (C:\Program Files\Intel\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\), or use Programs and Features in Control Panel
    Affected if The utility is present on the system
  2. Locate the main executable
    Search for files named 'USB 3.0 Creator' or similar in Program Files directories, common path is C:\Program Files\Intel\USB 3.0 Creator\
    Affected if The executable file exists on the system
  3. Inspect file permissions on the utility folder and executable
    Right-click the folder or executable, select Properties, go to the Security tab. Check which users/groups have Write or Modify permissions. From command line: icacls "C:\Program Files\Intel\USB 3.0 Creator"
    Affected if Authenticated users or non-admin users have Write, Modify, or Full Control permissions to the utility folder or its executable
  4. Verify service configuration if installed as a Windows service
    Open Services (services.msc), look for Intel USB 3.0 Creator service. Check the executable path in service properties and examine permissions on that binary
    Affected if The service binary is writable by standard users or the service runs with elevated privileges and has weak file permissions
  5. Check for unauthorized or modified executable
    Compare file hashes of the utility executable against a known-good baseline if available, or verify the executable has not been replaced/modified by checking file properties (signatures, version info)
    Affected if The executable has been modified or replaced, or digital signatures are missing/invalid

If Intel USB 3.0 Creator Utility is installed and standard users have Write or Modify permissions on its folder or executable, the system is vulnerable to local privilege escalation via this CVE.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patches or updates for Intel USB 3.0 Creator Utility when available; if no patch exists, restrict user access to the utility or uninstall if not required.

Fix this in Usb 3.0 Creator Utility Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,120
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-0129 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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
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