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Administrative Tools For Intel Network AdaptersApplication · Intel

CVE-2023-33870

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 28.2 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
Insecure inherited permissions in some Intel(R) Ethernet tools and driver install software 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

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Intel(R) Ethernet tools and driver installer software where insecure inherited permissions allow an authenticated user to manipulate the software to gain elevated privileges. The issue stems from improper permission settings that are inherited by the software components, enabling a local authenticated attacker to escalate their privileges on the system.

MitigationApply the vendor-provided patches or updates for the affected Intel Ethernet tools and driver install software. In the interim, restrict local access to the affected software to privileged users only and audit permissions on related executables and installer components.

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
Administrative Tools For Intel Network AdaptersApplication
Affected:< 28.2
Ethernet Connections Boot Utility\, Preboot Images\, And Efi DriversApplication
Affected:< 28.2

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. Identify if Intel Ethernet tools are installed
    Check common installation directories for Intel network adapter software, such as C:\Program Files\Intel\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\, and look for folders containing 'Ethernet', 'Network', 'Adapter', 'Tools', or 'Administrative' in the name.
    Affected if The software is present in the system
  2. Check installed version of Intel Administrative Tools
    Locate the executable files for Intel Administrative Tools (commonly named something like IntelE1000e.exe, PROSet.exe, or similar Intel network adapter utilities) and right-click to view Properties, then check the File Version or Product Version field.
    Affected if The version number displayed is lower than 28.2
  3. Check installed version of Intel Ethernet Connections Boot Utility
    Locate the Intel Ethernet Connections Boot Utility installation (often in the same Intel network adapter directory) and view the version information for the utility or its installer components.
    Affected if The version number displayed is lower than 28.2
  4. Inspect permissions on Intel Ethernet software executables
    Right-click on the Intel Ethernet tool executables and installer files, select Properties, then go to the Security tab to examine the permissions. Check if non-privileged or untrusted user accounts have Write, Modify, or Full Control permissions.
    Affected if Authenticated non-admin users have Write, Modify, or Full Control permissions on the software files or installation directories

Your environment is affected if Intel Ethernet Administrative Tools or Ethernet Connections Boot Utility is installed with a version lower than 28.2 and unprivileged users have write or modify permissions on the software components.

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 28.2 or later
Fixed in 28.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-provided patches or updates for the affected Intel Ethernet tools and driver install software. In the interim, restrict local access to the affected software to privileged users only and audit permissions on related executables and installer components.

Recommended fix High confidence

Version 28.2

  1. 1. Identify the installed Intel Ethernet tool or driver version on the system
  2. 2. Navigate to the official Intel support website to download the updated software
  3. 3. Download Administrative Tools for Intel Network Adapters version 28.2 or later
  4. 4. Download Ethernet Connections Boot Utility, Preboot Images, and EFI Drivers version 28.2 or later
  5. 5. Uninstall the current (vulnerable) versions of the affected software
  6. 6. Install the new version 28.2 or later of each affected component
  7. 7. Restart the system if prompted to complete the installation

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

Fix this in Administrative Tools For Intel Network Adapters Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,980
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,968.

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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-2023-33870 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