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Power GadgetApplication · Intel

CVE-2023-45315

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.6.0 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
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 initialization in some Intel(R) Power Gadget software for Windwos all versions may allow an authenticated user to potentially 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 · moderate confidence

Intel Power Gadget for Windows contains an improper initialization vulnerability that allows an authenticated local user to cause a denial of service condition. The vulnerability stems from incorrect or incomplete initialization of resources or state within the software, which can be exploited to trigger a crash or render the software unavailable.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches or updates for Intel Power Gadget when available. Until a patch is released, limit local access to trusted, authenticated users only and monitor for anomalous behavior.

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
Power GadgetApplication
Affected:< 3.6.0

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Verify Intel Power Gadget is installed
    Check for the presence of Intel Power Gadget on the system. Common installation paths include C:\Program Files\Intel\Power Gadget 3.6\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Power Gadget 3.6\. You can also check the Windows Programs and Features list or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Intel Power Gadget*'}
    Affected if Intel Power Gadget is installed on the system
  2. Determine the installed version
    Locate the version information. Right-click on PowerGadget.exe or IntelPowerGadget.exe in the installation directory, select Properties, then go to the Details tab to view the File Version. Alternatively, check the registry key HKLM\Software\Intel\PowerGadget or examine the application's About/Help section within the GUI.
    Affected if The version number is lower than 3.6.0 or cannot be determined (treat unknown versions as potentially affected)
  3. Confirm the application runs with local authenticated user access
    Verify that the Intel Power Gadget service or application can be launched by local authenticated users. Check the service configuration via Services.msc for Intel Power Gadget service, and verify user permissions to execute the application binary.
    Affected if Authenticated local users have execution access to Intel Power Gadget and the application is running

A system is affected by this CVE if Intel Power Gadget version 3.6.0 or higher is NOT installed AND authenticated local users have access to run the application, as they could trigger the improper initialization flaw to cause a denial of service.

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 3.6.0 or later
Fixed in 3.6.0
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided patches or updates for Intel Power Gadget when available. Until a patch is released, limit local access to trusted, authenticated users only and monitor for anomalous behavior.

Recommended fix High confidence

Power Gadget 3.6.0 or later

  1. Navigate to the Intel Power Gadget download page on www.intel.com
  2. Download Power Gadget version 3.6.0 or later for Windows
  3. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation
  4. Restart the system if prompted to ensure the updated version is fully initialized

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

Fix this in Power Gadget Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

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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-2023-45315 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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