CVE-2018-3661 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A vulnerability has been discovered in Intel System Configuration utilities selview.exe and syscfg.exe prior to version 14 build 11, allowing a local user to cause a crash in these services, potentially leading to a denial of service situation.

Understanding CVE-2018-3661

This CVE entry describes a buffer overflow vulnerability in Intel System Configuration utilities.

What is CVE-2018-3661?

CVE-2018-3661 is a vulnerability in Intel System Configuration utilities selview.exe and syscfg.exe before version 14 build 11, enabling a local user to crash these services, potentially resulting in a denial of service.

The Impact of CVE-2018-3661

The vulnerability could be exploited by a local user to cause a denial of service situation by crashing the affected services.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-3661

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The buffer overflow in Intel System Configuration utilities selview.exe and syscfg.exe before version 14 build 11 allows a local user to crash these services, leading to a denial of service.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: System Configuration Utilities
Vendor: Intel Corporation
Versions Affected: Before version 14 build 11

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by a local user to trigger a buffer overflow in the mentioned utilities, causing a crash and potential denial of service.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2018-3661, follow these mitigation steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Update the affected System Configuration utilities to version 14 build 11 or later.
Implement the necessary security patches provided by Intel.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch all software to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Monitor and restrict access to critical system utilities to authorized users only.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely installation of security updates and patches from Intel to protect against potential exploits.