Actively exploited vulnerability
GIGABYTE products: privilege escalation flaw under attack
CVE-2018-19323 · GIGABYTE Multiple Products Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
What is affected
GIGABYTE products are found on ordinary personal computers and phones, so this is not only a problem for companies. If you use them and have not updated since the fix was released, you are exposed.
The GPCIDrv and GDrv low-level drivers in GIGABYTE App Center, AORUS Graphics Engine, XTREME Gaming Engine, and OC GURU expose functionality to read and write arbitrary physical memory. This could be leveraged by a local attacker to elevate privileges.
What an attacker can do
This is a privilege escalation flaw. It lets an attacker turn limited access into full administrator control. Attackers pair it with another flaw or a malicious file: once anything of theirs runs on the device, this bug lets it take over completely.
- How it is reached
- Over the internet or network
- Access the attacker needs
- No account needed
- Does the victim have to do something?
- No, works without the victim doing anything
CISA records this vulnerability as known to be used in ransomware campaigns: attackers use it to get in, then encrypt files and demand payment.
What to do
- Update GIGABYTE products now. Open the update or "About" screen, install whatever is offered and restart the app or device, because the fix is not active until you do.
- Turn on automatic updates so the next fix arrives without you having to look for it.
- If your device is too old to receive this update, stop using the affected app for anything sensitive and plan a replacement.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Vendor advisories and fixes
- gigabyte.comwww.gigabyte.com/Support/Security/1801
How urgent is it
CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on October 24, 2022, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by November 14, 2022, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.
The EPSS model estimates a 8.4% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 95% of all scored vulnerabilities.
Its CVSS severity score is 9.8 out of 10 (critical), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.
Technical description
The GDrv low-level driver in GIGABYTE APP Center v1.05.21 and earlier, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE before 1.57, XTREME GAMING ENGINE before 1.26, and OC GURU II v2.08 exposes functionality to read and write Machine Specific Registers (MSRs).