CVE-2024-36293 is a vulnerability identified in Intel processors that support Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX), specifically related to the EDECCSSA user leaf function. This function suffers from improper access control, which allows an authenticated local user with limited privileges to trigger a denial of service condition. The vulnerability does not require user interaction and does not affect confidentiality or integrity but impacts availability by potentially disrupting SGX enclave operations. Intel SGX is designed to provide hardware-based memory encryption to isolate specific application code and data, protecting them from disclosure or modification. The EDECCSSA user leaf function is part of the processor's interface for enclave management and security features. Exploiting this flaw can cause system instability or crashes related to SGX functionality, which may affect applications relying on secure enclaves for sensitive computations. The vulnerability has a CVSS 4.0 base score of 6.8, indicating a medium severity level, primarily because exploitation requires local access and privileges. No public exploits or active exploitation in the wild have been reported to date. The vulnerability was reserved in June 2024 and published in February 2025. Intel processors with SGX are widely used in enterprise environments for secure computing tasks, making this vulnerability relevant for organizations leveraging SGX for data protection and trusted execution environments.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2024-36293 is the potential disruption of services that rely on Intel SGX for secure enclave operations. This can affect confidentiality-sensitive applications in finance, healthcare, telecommunications, and government sectors that use SGX to protect critical workloads. A denial of service could lead to temporary unavailability of secure processing environments, causing operational delays, loss of trust in secure computing capabilities, and potential compliance issues if secure enclave availability is mandated. While the vulnerability does not directly expose data or allow privilege escalation, the interruption of SGX services can impact business continuity and security posture. Organizations with multi-tenant environments or shared infrastructure may face increased risk if local users can exploit this vulnerability to disrupt enclave operations. The lack of known exploits reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop techniques over time. The medium severity rating suggests that while the threat is not critical, it requires timely attention to avoid service degradation or denial of secure enclave functionality.

To mitigate CVE-2024-36293, European organizations should: 1) Monitor Intel's official advisories and apply firmware and microcode updates as soon as patches become available to address the improper access control in the EDECCSSA user leaf function. 2) Restrict local user privileges rigorously, ensuring that only trusted and necessary personnel have access to systems with Intel SGX enabled, minimizing the risk of local exploitation. 3) Implement strict access controls and auditing on systems running SGX workloads to detect unusual or unauthorized attempts to access enclave management functions. 4) Employ endpoint security solutions capable of monitoring and alerting on anomalous local activities related to SGX operations. 5) Consider isolating SGX-enabled systems in segmented network zones to limit lateral movement in case of exploitation attempts. 6) Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing focused on enclave security and local privilege abuse scenarios. 7) Educate system administrators and security teams about the specific risks associated with SGX vulnerabilities to ensure rapid response and remediation. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on local access control, monitoring enclave-specific operations, and prioritizing patch management for microcode and firmware updates.