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Ethernet Adapter Complete DriverApplication · Intel

CVE-2023-39432

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
Improper access control element in some Intel(R) Ethernet tools and driver install software, before versions 28.2, 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

Intel Ethernet tools and driver install software versions prior to 28.2 contain an improper access control vulnerability that allows an authenticated local user to potentially escalate their privileges to higher permissions on the system.

MitigationUpgrade Intel Ethernet tools and driver install software to version 28.2 or later to remediate this improper access control vulnerability.

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
Ethernet Adapter Complete DriverApplication
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 Adapter Complete Driver is installed
    Check the installed programs on the system for 'Intel Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver' or related Intel Ethernet driver packages. This can be done via Control Panel > Programs and Features, or by running 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product' or checking the registry at HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Intel Ethernet entries.
    Affected if The driver package appears in the installed programs list.
  2. Locate the installed version number
    Right-click the installed Intel Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver entry in Programs and Features and select 'Change' or 'Properties', or look for version information in the registry key for that product under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. The version is typically displayed as a four-part number (e.g., 28.1.0, 27.0.0).
    Affected if A version number is found in the program entry.
  3. Compare installed version to the affected range
    Compare the installed version number to 28.2. The vulnerability affects versions earlier than 28.2. If the version shows 28.1.x, 27.x, or any lower major version, it is within the affected range.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 28.2 (for example, 28.1, 27.5, 26.x, etc.).

The system is affected if Intel Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver is installed with a version number lower than 28.2.

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

Upgrade Intel Ethernet tools and driver install software to version 28.2 or later to remediate this improper access control vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Intel Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver version 28.2

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed Intel(R) Ethernet Adapter driver version on the system
  2. 2. Navigate to the official Intel support website to download Ethernet Adapter drivers
  3. 3. Download version 28.2 or later of the Intel Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver Pack
  4. 4. Follow Intel's standard driver installation procedure to apply the update
  5. 5. Reboot the system as required to complete the installation
  6. 6. Verify the installed driver version is 28.2 or higher after reboot
Caveat Review Intel release notes for version 28.2 for any known compatibility or installation requirement changes before upgrading

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

Fix this in Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,950
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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-2023-39432 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