CVE-2023-24481
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 access control in some Intel(R) Thunderbolt(TM) DCH drivers for Windows before version 88 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 · high confidenceIntel Thunderbolt DCH drivers for Windows prior to version 88 contain an improper access control vulnerability that allows an authenticated user to potentially escalate privileges via local system access.
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< 88CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
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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Verify Intel Thunderbolt DCH driver is installedOpen Device Manager, expand the 'System devices' category, and look for an entry named 'Intel Thunderbolt DCH Driver' or similar Thunderbolt-related driver from IntelAffected if The driver is present in Device Manager
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Locate the driver versionRight-click the Intel Thunderbolt DCH driver in Device Manager, select Properties, go to the Driver tab, and note the Driver Version fieldAffected if The displayed version number is lower than 88 (for example, 87.x, 86.x, or any version below 88)
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Check alternative version sourceOpen an elevated Command Prompt and run 'wmic path win32_pnpsigneddriver get DeviceName,DriverVersion' to list installed driver versions, then search for Thunderbolt-related Intel entriesAffected if The listed driver version is less than 88
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Confirm the driver is enabled and activeIn Device Manager, verify the Thunderbolt driver is not disabled (it should show as 'This device is working properly' without a disabled icon) and that Thunderbolt technology is in use on the systemAffected if The driver is enabled and running on a system with Thunderbolt hardware
A system is affected if Intel Thunderbolt DCH Driver for Windows is installed with a version number lower than 88.
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 · scoped88
Update Intel Thunderbolt DCH drivers for Windows to version 88 or later.
Intel Thunderbolt DCH Driver for Windows version 88 or later
- Identify the current Intel Thunderbolt DCH driver version installed on the system via Device Manager or Intel Driver & Support Assistant
- Download the Intel Thunderbolt DCH driver version 88 or later from Intel's official support website (support.intel.com)
- Run the installer as an administrator to update the driver
- Restart the system if prompted to complete the installation
- Verify the updated driver version is 88 or later in Device Manager under the Thunderbolt category
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-24481 — 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-2023-24481 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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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.
- 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