CVE-2022-21203 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Standard Edition versions prior to 21.1. The issue stems from improper permissions set in the SafeNet Sentinel driver, which is used as a licensing mechanism within the Quartus Prime software. This vulnerability allows an authenticated local user—meaning someone with legitimate access to the system—to escalate their privileges beyond their assigned level. Specifically, the flaw relates to CWE-281 (Improper Authentication), indicating that the driver does not correctly enforce permission checks, enabling privilege escalation. The CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8 reflects a high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with the attack vector being local (AV:L), requiring low attack complexity (AC:L), and low privileges (PR:L), but no user interaction (UI:N). The vulnerability does not require remote exploitation but can be leveraged by any authenticated user with local access to gain elevated privileges, potentially leading to full system compromise or unauthorized access to sensitive intellectual property and design files managed by Quartus Prime. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the presence of this vulnerability in a widely used FPGA design tool presents a significant risk if left unpatched. Intel has addressed this issue in version 21.1 of Quartus Prime Standard Edition, and users are advised to upgrade accordingly.

For European organizations, particularly those involved in semiconductor design, embedded systems, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure sectors, this vulnerability poses a significant risk. Intel Quartus Prime is a widely used FPGA design software, and unauthorized privilege escalation could allow malicious insiders or compromised users to manipulate design files, inject malicious logic, or disrupt development workflows. This could lead to intellectual property theft, sabotage of hardware designs, or insertion of hardware backdoors, which have downstream effects on product security and supply chain integrity. Additionally, elevated privileges could enable attackers to pivot within the network, compromising other systems or exfiltrating sensitive data. Given the strategic importance of semiconductor design in Europe’s technology and defense sectors, exploitation of this vulnerability could undermine operational security and trust in critical technology products.

European organizations using Intel Quartus Prime Standard Edition should immediately verify their software version and upgrade to version 21.1 or later, where the vulnerability is patched. Beyond patching, organizations should implement strict access controls to limit the number of users with local access to systems running Quartus Prime, enforcing the principle of least privilege. Monitoring and logging of local user activities on these systems should be enhanced to detect unusual privilege escalation attempts. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions that can identify suspicious driver behavior or unauthorized privilege changes can provide additional protection. Organizations should also review and harden SafeNet Sentinel driver permissions manually if upgrading is delayed, ensuring that only trusted administrators have the ability to interact with the driver. Regular security audits and user training on the risks of local privilege escalation can further reduce the attack surface.