CVE-2024-39833 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting Intel(R) QuickAssist Technology (QAT) software versions prior to 2.3.0. The issue arises from an uncontrolled search path within the software, which can be exploited by an authenticated user with local access to escalate their privileges. Specifically, the vulnerability allows a user with limited privileges (low-level privileges) to potentially gain higher privileges on the affected system. The vulnerability requires local access and user interaction, and the attack complexity is high, indicating that exploitation is not trivial but feasible under certain conditions. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality, integrity, and availability at a high level, meaning that successful exploitation could lead to significant compromise of the system. Intel QAT software is used to accelerate cryptographic and compression operations, often deployed in enterprise environments, including servers and network appliances. The vulnerability does not require network access and is not known to be exploited in the wild as of the publication date. The CVSS 4.0 vector indicates that the attack requires local access (AV:L), high attack complexity (AC:H), privileges required are low (PR:L), and user interaction is needed (UI:A). The vulnerability does not affect system confidentiality, integrity, or availability in a partial manner but rather at a high level (VC:H, VI:H, VA:H). This suggests that the escalation of privilege could lead to full system compromise or significant unauthorized control over the system functions. No patches or exploit code are currently publicly available, but organizations using Intel QAT software should prioritize updating to version 2.3.0 or later once available. The vulnerability is particularly relevant in environments where Intel QAT is used to accelerate cryptographic workloads, such as data centers, cloud service providers, and telecommunications infrastructure.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-39833 could be significant, especially for those relying on Intel QAT software in critical infrastructure, cloud services, or telecommunications. The ability for a low-privileged authenticated user to escalate privileges locally could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, disruption of cryptographic services, or manipulation of data integrity. This could affect confidentiality of encrypted communications, integrity of cryptographic operations, and availability of accelerated services. Organizations in finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure sectors are particularly at risk due to the sensitive nature of their data and services. The vulnerability could also facilitate lateral movement within networks if exploited, increasing the risk of broader compromise. Since exploitation requires local access and user interaction, insider threats or compromised user accounts pose a higher risk. The absence of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as attackers may develop exploits over time. Failure to address this vulnerability could result in regulatory non-compliance under GDPR and other European data protection laws if data breaches occur.

European organizations should implement the following specific mitigation steps: 1) Inventory all systems using Intel QAT software and verify the installed version. 2) Plan and execute an upgrade to Intel QAT software version 2.3.0 or later as soon as it becomes available to eliminate the vulnerability. 3) Restrict local access to systems running Intel QAT to trusted and authorized personnel only, minimizing the risk of exploitation by low-privileged users. 4) Implement strict user account management and monitoring to detect unusual privilege escalation attempts or suspicious user activity. 5) Employ application whitelisting and integrity monitoring on systems running QAT software to detect unauthorized changes or execution of malicious code. 6) Harden endpoint security controls, including limiting user interaction requirements by educating users about the risks of interacting with untrusted software or files. 7) Monitor security advisories from Intel and related cybersecurity authorities for updates or patches. 8) Consider network segmentation to isolate systems with Intel QAT software from less trusted network zones to reduce attack surface. 9) Conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration tests focusing on privilege escalation vectors within local environments.