CVE-2023-40156
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 element in some Intel(R) SSU software before version 3.0.0.2 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 · high confidenceIntel SSU software before version 3.0.0.2 contains an uncontrolled search path element vulnerability. The application does not use fully qualified paths when loading executables or libraries, allowing an authenticated local attacker to place malicious DLLs or executables in locations where the vulnerable application will search for them, leading to privilege escalation.
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< 3.0.0.2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify Intel SSU installation locationSearch for IntelSSU.exe or Intel System Support Utility in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Intel\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\, or use the system search feature to locate the executable.Affected if The executable is found in any location on the system
-
Determine installed versionRight-click the IntelSSU.exe file, select Properties, and view the Details tab to see the Product Version. Alternatively, open the application and check Help > About for the version number.Affected if The version is lower than 3.0.0.2
-
Check application directory permissionsRight-click the folder containing IntelSSU.exe, select Properties, go to the Security tab, and review which users or groups have Write or Modify permissions on the folder.Affected if Authenticated users or non-privileged accounts have Write or Modify access to the Intel SSU installation directory
-
Verify DLL search order is not exploitableUse a process monitor tool (such as Process Monitor from Sysinternals) to observe which directories IntelSSU.exe searches when loading DLLs, checking if any user-writable directories are in the search path before system directories.Affected if The application loads DLLs from directories writable by non-privileged users
The environment is affected if Intel SSU version is lower than 3.0.0.2 and the installation directory or any directory in the DLL search path is writable by non-privileged users.
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 · scoped3.0.0.2
Upgrade Intel SSU to version 3.0.0.2 or later. If upgrade is not immediately feasible, ensure the application directory and PATH locations are not writable by unprivileged users and remove any untrusted locations from the system PATH.
3.0.0.2
- Navigate to the official Intel download page or support site for Intel System Support Utility
- Download Intel System Support Utility version 3.0.0.2 or later
- Run the installer with appropriate administrator privileges
- Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
- Verify the installed version by checking About or Help section
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-40156 — 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-2023-40156 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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