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

CVE-2024-28950

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) oneAPI Math Kernel Library software for Windows before version 2024.2 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 confidence

Intel oneAPI Math Kernel Library for Windows before version 2024.2 contains an uncontrolled search path vulnerability that allows an authenticated local user to potentially achieve privilege escalation by placing a malicious DLL in a location where the application searches for libraries, exploiting the DLL search order to execute code with elevated privileges.

MitigationUpgrade Intel oneAPI Math Kernel Library to version 2024.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

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. Verify Intel oneAPI MKL is installed
    Open Windows Settings > Apps & Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' via PowerShell, and search for entries containing 'Intel oneAPI Math Kernel Library' or 'Intel MKL'
    Affected if No Intel oneAPI MKL entry is found in installed programs (not affected)
  2. Determine the installed version of Intel oneAPI MKL
    Locate the primary MKL library file (typically libmkl*.dll in the installation directory under Program Files\Intel or Program Files (x86)\Intel), right-click the file, select Properties, and view the File version on the Details tab
    Affected if The version displayed is lower than 2024.2 (vulnerable)
  3. Query installed software version via PowerShell
    Run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*Intel*Math*Kernel*"} | Select-Object Name, Version' or check registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Intel\OneAPI\MKL for version keys
    Affected if The returned version number is below 2024.2 (vulnerable)
  4. Identify the execution context of MKL-using applications
    Open Task Manager, locate any process that utilizes Intel MKL (such as common Intel MKL-dependent applications like MATLAB, Python with numpy, or Intel compiler outputs), right-click, select Run as administrator if available, and note the privilege level under which the process runs
    Affected if MKL-dependent processes run with elevated (administrator) privileges and a lower-privilege local user can write to directories in the DLL search path (vulnerable)

If Intel oneAPI MKL version 2024.2 or later is installed, the environment is not affected by this CVE; otherwise, the combination of an older version and the DLL search path being writable by a local user indicates exposure to privilege escalation.

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 Intel oneAPI Math Kernel Library to version 2024.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Intel(R) oneAPI Math Kernel Library 2024.2 for Windows

  1. Identify the current version of Intel(R) oneAPI Math Kernel Library installed on the Windows system
  2. Navigate to the official Intel website or Intel Developer Zone to obtain version 2024.2 of Intel(R) oneAPI Math Kernel Library for Windows
  3. Download the installer for version 2024.2
  4. Run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges
  5. Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. Restart any applications or services that utilize the Math Kernel Library
  7. Verify the installed version is 2024.2 or later
Caveat Review Intel's release notes for version 2024.2 to check for any API changes or compatibility considerations with existing applications

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2024-28950 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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