Uncontrolled Search Path (DLL Hijack)Weakness · CWE-427

CVE-2024-28881

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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
Uncontrolled search path for some Intel(R) Fortran Compiler Classic software before version 2021.13 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 confidence

This is an uncontrolled search path (DLL/library hijacking) vulnerability in Intel Fortran Compiler Classic versions prior to 2021.13. An authenticated local user could place malicious libraries in a path the compiler searches, causing arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges when the compiler runs.

MitigationUpgrade to Intel Fortran Compiler Classic version 2021.13 or later from Intel's official distribution channels to obtain the vendor patch.

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Locate Intel Fortran Compiler Classic installation
    Search for the ifort compiler executable (typically named ifort.exe on Windows or ifort on Linux) in common Intel compiler installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Intel\oneAPI\ or /opt/intel/
    Affected if Intel Fortran Compiler Classic is present on the system
  2. Determine the installed version number
    Run 'ifort --version' or check the compiler's About/Version information in the IDE, or examine the installer metadata in the installation directory
    Affected if The version returned is less than 2021.13 (e.g., 2021.12, 2021.11, etc.)
  3. Verify the DLL/library search path configuration
    Examine the compiler's library paths by running 'ifort -print-search-dirs' or reviewing environment variables such as LIB, PATH, or compiler-specific variables like IFPATH that define where the compiler searches for libraries
    Affected if Directories in the search path are writable by untrusted local users

The environment is affected if Intel Fortran Compiler Classic version is prior to 2021.13 and untrusted local users can place files in directories the compiler uses to search for libraries or DLLs.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Intel Fortran Compiler Classic version 2021.13 or later from Intel's official distribution channels to obtain the vendor patch.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Intel Fortran Compiler Classic 2021.13 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current version of Intel Fortran Compiler Classic installed on the system
  2. 2. Download Intel Fortran Compiler Classic version 2021.13 or later from the official Intel website (intel.com)
  3. 3. Verify the integrity of the downloaded installer using checksums if provided
  4. 4. Backup any existing projects or compiler configurations before upgrading
  5. 5. Uninstall the current version of Intel Fortran Compiler Classic
  6. 6. Install the new version (2021.13 or later) with appropriate administrator privileges
  7. 7. Verify the installation was successful and the version number is correct
  8. 8. Reconfigure any build scripts or environment variables as needed to point to the new compiler path
Caveat Review Intel release notes for version 2021.13 to check for any compiler flag changes, deprecated features, or migration requirements that may affect existing build processes

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,190
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2024-28881 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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