CVE-2023-40155
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 · uneditedUncontrolled search path for some Intel(R) CST software before version 2.1.10300 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 confidenceThis is an uncontrolled search path vulnerability (DLL/EXE hijacking) in Intel(R) CST software prior to version 2.1.10300. An authenticated local user can place malicious executables or DLLs in directories that the application searches when loading resources, potentially achieving privilege escalation from their current user context.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/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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Detect Intel CST software installationSearch for Intel CST software on the system. Check common installation paths such as C:\Program Files\Intel\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\. Also query the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Intel or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Intel for CST-related keys.Affected if Intel CST software is found installed on the system
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Determine installed versionLocate the main Intel CST executable (commonly cst.exe or similar) in the installation directory. Right-click the executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab to obtain the version number. Alternatively, query the version from the registry keys found in the previous step.Affected if The installed version is below 2.1.10300 (versions prior to 2.1.10300 are affected)
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Verify application runs from the installed locationConfirm the Intel CST application executable exists and can be executed from its installed location. For DLL hijacking to be exploitable, the application must be run so it searches its directories for resources.Affected if The Intel CST application can be executed from its installation directory
A system is affected if Intel CST software is installed with a version prior to 2.1.10300 and the application is run, allowing an authenticated local user to place malicious DLLs/EXEs in directories the application searches.
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 · scopedUpgrade Intel CST software to version 2.1.10300 or later to eliminate the uncontrolled search path element.
Intel CST software version 2.1.10300 or later
- Identify the currently installed version of Intel(R) CST software on the system
- Navigate to Intel's official support or download page for Intel CST software
- Download version 2.1.10300 or the latest available version from Intel's official website
- Verify the integrity of the downloaded package using checksums if provided by Intel
- Close any running instances of the Intel CST software
- Install the updated version following Intel's standard installation procedure
- Restart the system if prompted by the installer
- Verify the installed version matches the patched release (2.1.10300 or later)
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40155 — 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-2023-40155 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