dbcve.org
Quartus PrimeApplication · Intel

CVE-2022-21174

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 21.3 or later.
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 access control in a third-party component of Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Pro Edition before version 21.3 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

Improper access control in a third-party component of Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition allows an authenticated user to potentially escalate privileges via local access. This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability affecting versions prior to 21.3.

MitigationUpgrade Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition to version 21.3 or later to obtain the patched third-party component with proper access controls.

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
Quartus PrimeApplication
Affected:< 21.3

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:3.1/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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition installation
    Check if Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition software is installed on the system. Look for the application in standard installation directories (e.g., C:\intelFPGA_pro on Windows or /opt/intelFPGA_pro on Linux) or check via system inventory tools.
    Affected if Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed Quartus Prime version
    Locate the version information. On Windows, check the installation folder properties or look for version.txt in the installation directory. On Linux, run: ls -la /opt/intelFPGA_pro/<version>/ and examine the version file, or check the Quartus Prime GUI via Help > About Quartus Prime.
    Affected if The installed version number is found to be less than 21.3
  3. Compare version against affected range
    Parse the version number obtained and compare it numerically or lexicographically against 21.3. Ensure you are checking the Pro Edition specifically, as the vulnerability specifically affects the Pro Edition.
    Affected if The installed version is 21.2, 21.1, 20.x, or any earlier version of Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition
  4. Assess local access exposure
    Determine if untrusted or lower-privileged local users have access to the system where Quartus Prime is installed. Check local user accounts and their permissions on the system.
    Affected if The system allows local user accounts with limited privileges to access the machine where Quartus Prime Pro Edition is installed

A user is affected if Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition is installed with a version number less than 21.3 and the system permits local authenticated access by users who could potentially exploit the improper access control in the third-party component.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 21.3 or later
Fixed in 21.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition to version 21.3 or later to obtain the patched third-party component with proper access controls.

Recommended fix High confidence

Quartus Prime Pro Edition 21.3 or later

  1. Back up all existing Quartus Prime projects, designs, and configuration files
  2. Download Quartus Prime Pro Edition version 21.3 or later from the official Intel website (www.intel.com)
  3. Run the installer with administrator privileges
  4. Follow the on-screen installation wizard prompts to complete the installation
  5. Verify the installed version by checking Help > About Quartus Prime in the software
  6. Migrate any existing projects to the new version as needed
  7. Test that designs compile correctly and verify functionality

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

Fix this in Quartus Prime Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

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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-2022-21174 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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