dbcve.org
Jhl8440 FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2023-28396

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 41 or later.
See remediation →
63/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 firmware for some Intel(R) Thunderbol(TM) Controllers versions before 41 may allow a privileged user to enable denial of service 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 confidence

Improper access control in Intel Thunderbolt controller firmware before version 41 allows a privileged user with local access to enable denial of service. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls in the firmware that permit a local authenticated attacker to trigger a DoS condition.

MitigationUpdate Intel Thunderbolt controller firmware to version 41 or later. Since this requires local access and privileged user context, ensure firmware update procedures are followed and restrict physical access to affected systems.

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
Jhl8440 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 41

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
High
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:L/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. Identify Intel JHL8440 Thunderbolt controller in system
    Check system hardware inventory or device manager for Intel JHL8440 thunderbolt controller. On Linux, run 'lspci | grep -i thunderbolt' or check /sys/bus/thunderbolt/devices/
    Affected if No Intel JHL8440 controller is found in the system - not affected
  2. Check current Thunderbolt firmware version
    Use Intel Thunderbolt firmware update utility, system BIOS/UEFI information, or OS-specific tools (Device Manager on Windows, 'tbctl version' on Linux if available) to retrieve the firmware version of the JHL8440 controller
    Affected if Unable to retrieve firmware version for the JHL8440 controller
  3. Document the firmware version shown and compare it numerically to version 41. Note that version numbers follow semantic versioning - any version below 41 (such as 40.x, 1.x, or any 0.x release) is considered vulnerable
    Affected if Installed firmware version is less than 41 (e.g., 40.x, 1.x, or any version number below 41)
  4. Verify local access and privileged user context exists
    Confirm that the system permits local user accounts with administrative or privileged access. This vulnerability requires a local authenticated attacker - check if multi-user local access is enabled
    Affected if System allows local privileged user access - this is the attack vector condition required for exploitation

System is affected only if it contains an Intel JHL8440 Thunderbolt controller with firmware version below 41 AND permits local privileged user access.

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 41 or later
Fixed in 41
Interim mitigation

Update Intel Thunderbolt controller firmware to version 41 or later. Since this requires local access and privileged user context, ensure firmware update procedures are followed and restrict physical access to affected systems.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Jhl8440 Firmware version 41 or later

  1. 1. Identify the Intel Thunderbolt Controller hardware model (Jhl8440) in the affected system
  2. 2. Consult Intel's documentation or support portal for firmware update procedures specific to the Jhl8440
  3. 3. Obtain the firmware version 41 or later from Intel's official support channels
  4. 4. Follow Intel's recommended firmware update process, which typically requires: booting the system, running the Intel firmware update utility, and allowing the update to complete without interruption
  5. 5. Verify the firmware has been successfully updated to version 41 or later after the process completes
Caveat Firmware updates carry risk of bricking hardware if interrupted; ensure stable power and follow Intel's update procedure exactly

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

Fix this in Jhl8440 Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2023-28396 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