Intel Processors have a vulnerability that could compromise laptops, vehicles, and embedded systems, according to researchers. The vulnerability (CVE-2021-0146) allows unauthorized users with physical access to gain elevated privileges on the system by enabling testing or debugging modes on multiple Intel processor lines.
In terms of scope, the vulnerability affects the Pentium, Celeron, and Atom processors of the Apollo Lake, Gemini Lake, and Gemini Lake Refresh platforms. Laptops, mobile devices, embedded systems, medical equipment, and a range of internet of things (IoT) offerings are all powered by these chips.
“According to a study by Mordor Intelligence, Intel ranks fourth in the IoT chip market, while its Intel Atom E3900 series IoT processors, which also contain the CVE-2021-0146 vulnerability, are used by car manufacturers in more than 30 models, including, according to unofficial sources, in Tesla’s Model 3,” Positive Technologies noted in a writeup.
Mark Ermolov, Dmitry Sklyarov (both from Positive Technologies), and Maxim Goryachy (an independent researcher) discovered the bug, which received a score of 7.1 out of 10 on the CVSS vulnerability-severity scale.
“One example of a real threat is lost or stolen laptops that contain confidential information in encrypted form,” says Mark Ermolov. “Using this vulnerability, an attacker can extract the encryption key and gain access to information within the laptop. The bug can also be exploited in targeted attacks across the supply chain. For example, an employee of an Intel processor-based device supplier could, in theory, extract the Intel CSME firmware key and deploy spyware that security software would not detect."
This vulnerability is especially problematic since it makes it easier to recover the root encryption key used in Intel PTT (Platform Trust Technology) and Intel EPID (Enhanced Privacy ID) technologies in systems designed to prevent unlawful copying of digital information. For digital rights management, a number of Amazon e-book models, for example, use Intel EPID-based protection. An intruder might use this flaw to steal the root EPID key from a device (e-book), then use Intel EPID technology to download electronic contents in file form, copy, and distribute them, according to Ermolov.
Manufacturers should be more cautious in their approach for providing security for debug mechanisms in the future to minimize difficulties and probable bypassing of built-in protection, according to researchers.
