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

CVE-2024-39813

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-12
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 EPCT software before version 1.42.8.0 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

Uncontrolled search path (DLL hijacking) vulnerability in EPCT software versions before 1.42.8.0 allows an authenticated local attacker to place malicious executables in directories searched by the vulnerable software, potentially achieving privilege escalation.

MitigationUpdate EPCT software to version 1.42.8.0 or later; if patching is not immediately feasible, restrict write access to application directories and remove untrusted locations from the PATH to prevent binary planting.

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. Identify if EPCT software is installed
    Check Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for EPCT, or look for EPCT executable in common program directories (C:\Program Files\EPCT, C:\Program Files (x86)\EPCT)
    Affected if EPCT software is found on the system
  2. Determine installed EPCT version
    Right-click the EPCT executable, select Properties, and view the Version tab; alternatively, query the registry key where the software is registered and look for the DisplayVersion value
    Affected if Version is below 1.42.8.0
  3. Check for writable application directories
    Using icacls or Get-Acl in PowerShell, inspect write permissions on the EPCT installation directory and subdirectories
    Affected if Authenticated users or low-privilege accounts have Write or Modify permissions to directories EPCT searches for executables
  4. Inspect PATH environment variable for untrusted locations
    Run 'echo %PATH%' or check System Properties > Environment Variables to review directories in the PATH that may be writable by other users
    Affected if PATH contains directories writable by untrusted users (such as temp folders, user-specific directories, or network shares)
  5. Verify if DLL search order can be exploited
    Use Process Monitor or similar tooling to observe which directories EPCT searches when launching, focusing on whether current directory or user-writable paths are searched before protected system paths
    Affected if EPCT loads DLLs or executables from locations writable by non-admin users

User is affected if EPCT software version is below 1.42.8.0 AND application directories or PATH locations are writable by the attacker.

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

Update EPCT software to version 1.42.8.0 or later; if patching is not immediately feasible, restrict write access to application directories and remove untrusted locations from the PATH to prevent binary planting.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Intel EPCT software version 1.42.8.0 or later

  1. 1. Identify all systems running Intel EPCT (Enterprise Platform Configuration Technology) software
  2. 2. Check the current version of EPCT software on each system (typically via software inventory or 'Help > About' in the application)
  3. 3. Download the latest version of Intel EPCT software (version 1.42.8.0 or later) from the official Intel download center
  4. 4. Before upgrading, create a backup of the current configuration if applicable
  5. 5. Uninstall the current version of EPCT software or use the upgrade installer to install version 1.42.8.0 or later
  6. 6. Verify the installation was successful and the new version is running
  7. 7. Confirm the DLL search path vulnerability is resolved by ensuring the software only loads DLLs from secure directories
Caveat Review Intel release notes for version 1.42.8.0 to check for any configuration changes or compatibility considerations with existing systems

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,970
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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-2024-39813 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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