CVE-2022-24297 is a vulnerability identified in the firmware of certain Intel(R) NUC (Next Unit of Computing) devices. The flaw arises from improper buffer restrictions within the firmware, which can be exploited by a user who already has privileged local access to the system. Specifically, this vulnerability allows such a user to escalate their privileges further, potentially gaining higher-level control over the device. The vulnerability does not require user interaction beyond having local privileged access, and it affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system, as indicated by the CVSS vector (Confidentiality: High, Integrity: High, Availability: High). The CVSS score of 6.7 classifies this as a medium severity issue. While no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability poses a risk in environments where Intel NUCs are deployed and where local privileged access could be obtained by an attacker or malicious insider. The lack of publicly available patches at the time of reporting suggests that affected organizations should monitor vendor advisories closely. Intel NUCs are compact, versatile computing devices often used in enterprise, industrial, and edge computing scenarios, making this vulnerability relevant for organizations relying on these devices for critical workloads.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2022-24297 could be significant in environments where Intel NUCs are used as part of infrastructure, such as in small form-factor servers, edge computing nodes, or specialized workstations. An attacker with local privileged access could leverage this vulnerability to gain even higher privileges, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of services, or the ability to implant persistent malware at a firmware level. This could compromise the confidentiality and integrity of critical systems and data, and potentially affect availability if the attacker disrupts device functionality. Given the medium severity rating and the requirement for local privileged access, the threat is more relevant in scenarios where insider threats or lateral movement within a network are concerns. Organizations in sectors such as finance, manufacturing, healthcare, and government, which may deploy Intel NUCs for compact computing needs, should consider the risk of privilege escalation attacks that could lead to broader network compromise or data breaches.

To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2022-24297, European organizations should take several specific actions beyond generic security hygiene: 1) Inventory and identify all Intel NUC devices in use, including firmware versions, to assess exposure. 2) Monitor Intel’s official advisories and firmware update releases closely to apply patches as soon as they become available. 3) Restrict local privileged access to Intel NUC devices strictly to trusted personnel and enforce strong access controls and authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized local access. 4) Implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting unusual privilege escalation attempts or firmware tampering. 5) Employ hardware-based security features such as Intel Boot Guard or Trusted Platform Module (TPM) where supported to help protect firmware integrity. 6) Conduct regular security audits and penetration testing focused on local privilege escalation vectors to identify and remediate weaknesses. 7) Consider network segmentation to limit the ability of an attacker who gains local access on one device from moving laterally to more critical systems.