CVE-2018-19321 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

GIGABYTE APP Center, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE, XTREME GAMING ENGINE, and OC GURU II contain drivers that could allow a local attacker to elevate privileges.

Understanding CVE-2018-19321

GIGABYTE APP Center and related software versions have vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers to gain elevated privileges.

What is CVE-2018-19321?

The GIGABYTE APP Center versions before 1.05.21, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE versions before 1.57, XTREME GAMING ENGINE versions before 1.26, and OC GURU II version 2.08 contain low-level drivers that allow a local attacker to increase their privileges. These drivers provide access to read and write arbitrary physical memory.

The Impact of CVE-2018-19321

The vulnerabilities in the drivers could potentially allow a local attacker to escalate their privileges on the affected systems.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-19321

GIGABYTE APP Center and related software versions have specific vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

Vulnerability Description

The GPCIDrv and GDrv low-level drivers in GIGABYTE APP Center versions before 1.05.21, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE before 1.57, XTREME GAMING ENGINE before 1.26, and OC GURU II version 2.08 expose functionality that could be leveraged by a local attacker to read and write arbitrary physical memory.

Affected Systems and Versions

GIGABYTE APP Center versions before 1.05.21
AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE versions before 1.57
XTREME GAMING ENGINE versions before 1.26
OC GURU II version 2.08

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerabilities in the GPCIDrv and GDrv drivers could be exploited by a local attacker to elevate their privileges on the system.

Mitigation and Prevention

Steps to address and prevent the vulnerabilities in GIGABYTE APP Center and related software.

Immediate Steps to Take

Update GIGABYTE APP Center, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE, XTREME GAMING ENGINE, and OC GURU II to the latest versions.
Monitor for any unusual activities on the system that could indicate exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Implement the principle of least privilege to restrict access rights for users and applications.
Conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify and address potential security risks.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches and updates provided by GIGABYTE for the affected software versions to mitigate the privilege escalation vulnerabilities.