CVE-2022-21220
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 · uneditedImproper restriction of XML external entity for 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 confidenceThis is an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition, a FPGA design software. The software improperly restricts XML external entity references, allowing an authenticated local user to potentially exploit this to achieve privilege escalation. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 21.3.
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< 21.3CVSS 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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Determine Intel Quartus Prime versionLocate the installed Intel Quartus Prime software and retrieve its version number. This is typically available in the software's About dialog, installation directory, or via command line if available.Affected if The installed version is any version prior to 21.3 (for example, 21.2, 21.1, 20.x, or earlier)
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Identify if XML processing features are in useDetermine whether Quartus Prime is being used to open, parse, or process XML-based design files, project files, or configuration files. These may include .qpf, .qsf, or other XML-formatted files used by the software.Affected if The software processes XML files and the version is prior to 21.3
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Confirm local user authentication contextVerify that local user accounts are configured or enabled for the Quartus Prime environment. The vulnerability requires an authenticated local user to trigger the XXE condition.Affected if Local authentication is enabled and the installed version is prior to 21.3
A system is affected if Intel Quartus Prime version is below 21.3 and the software is used to process XML files with local user authentication configured.
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.
dbcve · scoped21.3
Upgrade Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition to version 21.3 or later to receive the patch for this XXE vulnerability.
Quartus Prime Pro Edition 21.3
- Download Intel Quartus Prime Pro Edition version 21.3 or later from the official Intel website
- Verify the version number matches 21.3 or higher before installation
- Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
- Follow the installation wizard to complete the upgrade
- After installation, verify the version by checking About Quartus Prime in the software
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-21220 — 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-2022-21220 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
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