CVE-2021-0052
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 · uneditedIncorrect default privileges in the Intel(R) Computing Improvement Program before version 2.4.6522 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable an 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 confidenceIntel Computing Improvement Program before version 2.4.6522 contains incorrect default permissions that allow an authenticated local user to escalate privileges. The vulnerability stems from improper permission assignments that enable a standard user to gain elevated access through the vulnerable component.
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< 2.4.6522CVSS 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:3.1/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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Check if Intel Computing Improvement Program is installedOpen Programs and Features (Windows) or use command: 'wmic product where "name like '%Intel Computing Improvement%'" get name,version'Affected if The program appears in the installed programs list
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Determine the installed versionRight-click the program in Programs and Features and select Properties, or run: 'wmic product where "name like '%Intel Computing Improvement%'" get version'Affected if The version shown is lower than 2.4.6522
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Locate the installation directoryFind the executable by right-clicking the program in Programs and Features and selecting Properties, or using: 'where "Intel*Improvement*"' in Command PromptAffected if The program executable exists on the system
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Verify permissions on the installation directoryRight-click the installation folder, go to Properties > Security, and check if Users or standard user accounts have Write or Modify permissionsAffected if Standard users have Write or Modify access to the program directory or its executable files
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Check for the Intel Computing Improvement Program serviceOpen Services (services.msc) and look for 'Intel Computing Improvement Program' or run: 'sc query "Intel Computing Improvement Program"'Affected if The service exists and runs with elevated privileges while allowing standard user file modification
A user is affected if Intel Computing Improvement Program is installed with a version lower than 2.4.6522 and standard user accounts have write/modify permissions to the program files or directory.
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 data2.4.6522
Upgrade Intel Computing Improvement Program to version 2.4.6522 or later. If the application is not required, consider removing it entirely to reduce the attack surface.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-0052 — 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-2021-0052 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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- 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
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