CVE-2022-21156 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in Intel(R) Trace Analyzer and Collector versions prior to 2021.5. The flaw arises from the access of an uninitialized pointer within the software, which is a classic case of CWE-824 (Access of Uninitialized Pointer). This vulnerability can be exploited by an authenticated user with local access to the system, allowing them to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition. The denial of service results from the software attempting to dereference or use an uninitialized pointer, which can cause the application to crash or behave unpredictably, thereby disrupting the normal operation of the Intel Trace Analyzer and Collector tool. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 5.5, reflecting a medium severity level, with the vector indicating that the attack requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), low privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), unchanged scope (S:U), no impact on confidentiality or integrity (C:N/I:N), but high impact on availability (A:H). This vulnerability does not appear to have known exploits in the wild as of the published date. Intel Trace Analyzer and Collector is a performance analysis tool used primarily in high-performance computing (HPC) environments to analyze and optimize parallel applications. The vulnerability is limited to local authenticated users, meaning remote exploitation is not feasible without prior access. The lack of a patch link suggests that users should verify with Intel for updates or mitigations. Overall, this vulnerability could be leveraged by malicious insiders or attackers who have gained local access to disrupt performance analysis workflows and potentially impact HPC operations relying on this tool.

For European organizations, particularly those involved in scientific research, engineering, and industries relying on HPC clusters (such as automotive, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and financial modeling), this vulnerability could disrupt critical performance analysis tasks. Denial of service in Intel Trace Analyzer and Collector could delay development cycles, reduce productivity, and impair the ability to optimize HPC applications, which are often resource-intensive and time-sensitive. While the vulnerability does not directly compromise data confidentiality or integrity, the availability impact can have cascading effects on operational efficiency and project timelines. Organizations using Intel Trace Analyzer and Collector in shared HPC environments may face increased risk if malicious insiders or compromised users exploit this flaw to cause service interruptions. Given the requirement for local authenticated access, the threat is more relevant to internal security postures and user privilege management. The absence of known exploits reduces immediate risk, but the medium severity rating and potential operational impact warrant proactive mitigation.

1. Upgrade to Intel Trace Analyzer and Collector version 2021.5 or later, where this vulnerability is addressed. 2. Restrict local access to systems running Intel Trace Analyzer and Collector to trusted and authorized personnel only. 3. Implement strict user privilege management and auditing to detect and prevent unauthorized local access or suspicious activities. 4. Employ host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to monitor for abnormal crashes or application failures related to the Trace Analyzer. 5. Regularly review and update HPC cluster security policies to include vulnerability management for performance analysis tools. 6. Coordinate with Intel support channels to obtain official patches or workarounds if immediate upgrade is not feasible. 7. Conduct user training to raise awareness about the risks of local exploitation and the importance of maintaining secure access controls. 8. Consider isolating the Trace Analyzer environment from general user environments to limit exposure.