CVE-2023-49615
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 · uneditedImproper input validation in some Intel(R) System Security Report and System Resources Defense firmware may allow a privileged 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 confidenceThis is an improper input validation vulnerability in Intel System Security Report and System Resources Defense firmware. A privileged local user could exploit this to escalate their privileges, potentially gaining higher-level system access. The vulnerability requires local access and an already-privileged position to exploit.
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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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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Identify Intel System Security Report firmware presenceCheck system firmware/BIOS version using tools like 'dmidecode', 'fwupdmgr get-devices', or Intel System Information Viewer. Look for Intel System Security Report or System Resources Defense firmware components.Affected if The system has Intel System Security Report or System Resources Defense firmware installed and the version cannot be determined or falls within an unpatched release range.
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Retrieve firmware versionRun 'fwupdmgr get-version' or check BIOS/UEFI setup utility under Intel settings for System Security Report version information. Alternatively, use Intel Platform Management Framework (PLDM) tools if available.Affected if The installed firmware version is unknown or cannot be compared to a fixed version.
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Check for firmware update availabilityRun 'fwupdmgr get-updates' to query available firmware updates from LVFS (Linux Vendor Firmware Service) or check Intel's support site manually for CVE-2023-49615 related updates.Affected if No firmware update is available for the installed version, indicating it may remain unpatched.
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Verify current user privilege levelRun 'whoami' or 'id' to confirm if the current user has administrative or root privileges. The vulnerability requires an already-privileged local user.Affected if The current user already has elevated privileges on the system.
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Review system audit logs for privilege escalation attemptsCheck /var/log/audit/audit.log (or Windows Event Viewer Security logs) for suspicious commands or unexpected privilege changes around the time frame the vulnerability would be exploitable.Affected if Unusual privilege escalation events are found that correlate with the vulnerable firmware component.
A user is affected if the system has Intel System Security Report or System Resources Defense firmware installed, the firmware version is unpatched, and the user already possesses elevated local privileges.
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.
From vendor dataApply the Intel firmware update when available through Intel's support channels. Restrict local administrative access to trusted personnel and monitor for privilege escalation attempts.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-49615 — 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-2023-49615 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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- 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
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