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Power GadgetApplication · Intel

CVE-2023-46689

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.7.0 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 neutralization in Intel(R) Power Gadget software for macOS all versions 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

Improper neutralization vulnerability in Intel Power Gadget for macOS allows an authenticated local user to escalate privileges. This is likely a command or injection flaw where user-controlled input is not properly sanitized before being processed with elevated privileges.

MitigationApply any available Intel security updates for Power Gadget; if no patch exists, restrict or disable the software until a fix is available, and limit local user access to sensitive systems.

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:< 3.7.0

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
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. Verify Intel Power Gadget is installed
    Check /Applications folder for 'Intel Power Gadget' application, or use command: ls -la /Applications | grep -i 'Intel Power Gadget'
    Affected if The application exists on the system
  2. Determine installed version
    Right-click Intel Power Gadget.app > Get Info, or use: defaults read /Applications/Intel\ Power\ Gadget.app/Contents/Info.plist CFBundleVersion 2>/dev/null
    Affected if Version number returned is less than 3.7.0
  3. Check if Power Gadget extension is loaded
    Run: kextstat | grep -i 'PowerGadget' or check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Extensions for Intel Power Gadget components
    Affected if Kernel extension or system extension is loaded and active
  4. Verify running processes
    Run: ps -ef | grep -i 'Power Gadget' to check if the daemon or helper is actively running
    Affected if Any Intel Power Gadget daemon or helper process is running on the system

User is affected if Intel Power Gadget version is below 3.7.0 AND the software or its components are installed/active on the system.

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 3.7.0 or later
Fixed in 3.7.0
Interim mitigation

Apply any available Intel security updates for Power Gadget; if no patch exists, restrict or disable the software until a fix is available, and limit local user access to sensitive systems.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.7.0 or later

  1. Download Intel Power Gadget version 3.7.0 or later from the official Intel website
  2. Install the updated version of Intel Power Gadget on the macOS system
  3. Restart the system if prompted to complete the installation
  4. Verify the installed version is 3.7.0 or higher

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

Fix this in Power Gadget Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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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-2023-46689 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