CVE-2018-19321
GIGABYTE Multiple Products Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Description
CVE-2018-19321 is a high-severity privilege escalation vulnerability in the GPCIDrv and GDrv low-level kernel drivers distributed with multiple GIGABYTE software products, including GIGABYTE APP Center v1.05.21 and earlier, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE before 1.57, XTREME GAMING ENGINE before 1.26, and OC GURU II v2.08. These drivers expose unrestricted read and write access to arbitrary physical memory, allowing any local attacker with standard user credentials to overwrite kernel data structures and escalate privileges to full system control. CVE-2018-19321 carries a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH), is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and is associated with ransomware campaigns, making it a high-priority security issue for all affected systems.
KEV Information
CVSS Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HOpen in CalculatorAffected Products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|---|---|
| gigabyte | aorus graphics engine | < 1.57 |
| gigabyte | app center | < 19.0422.1 |
| gigabyte | oc guru ii | 2.08 |
| gigabyte | xtreme gaming engine | < 1.26 |
Multiple CVSS Assessments
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2018/Dec/39(Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106252(Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- https://www.gigabyte.com/Support/Security/1801(Vendor Advisory)
- https://www.secureauth.com/labs/advisories/gigabyte-drivers-elevation-privilege-vulnerabilities(Broken Link, Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-19321(US Government Resource)
Weakness Type
No CWE Assigned
CVE-2018-19321 does not carry a formal CWE classification in the NVD database. However, the vulnerability is best characterized as an exposed dangerous driver interface that provides unrestricted physical memory read/write access to unprivileged user-mode callers. This pattern — where a kernel driver bridges the gap between user-mode processes and direct hardware memory access without access controls — is a well-known and dangerous design flaw in OEM hardware management software.
Learn more: MITRE CWE — Common Weakness Enumeration
Impact Analysis
CVE-2018-19321 requires a local attacker with low-level user privileges, but the attack complexity is low and no user interaction is needed, making escalation to SYSTEM straightforward for any local user on a vulnerable system. Confidentiality (High): Reading arbitrary physical memory allows an attacker to extract sensitive data from any process or kernel structure, including cryptographic keys, credentials, and security tokens stored in memory. Integrity (High): Writing to arbitrary physical memory enables direct manipulation of kernel data structures, page tables, and security-critical memory regions, facilitating reliable privilege escalation and potentially loading unsigned or malicious kernel code. Availability (High): Uncontrolled physical memory writes can corrupt kernel state and cause system crashes or Blue Screens of Death (BSoD). The EPSS score of 40.0% (97th percentile) indicates near-certain exploitation activity for this CVE, and its inclusion in the CISA KEV catalog with a ransomware tag confirms that threat actors actively use physical memory access vulnerabilities in attack chains.
Exploit Maturity
CVE-2018-19321 has confirmed public exploit material available. A Full Disclosure mailing list post documents the vulnerability and exploitation methodology, and a SecureAuth advisory provides detailed exploitation analysis of the GIGABYTE driver family. CISA has confirmed active exploitation in the wild by including CVE-2018-19321 in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a remediation deadline of 2022-11-14 and a confirmed ransomware association. The EPSS score of 40.0% places this vulnerability in the 97th percentile of all CVEs, indicating very high exploitation probability — organizations should treat this as an actively exploited vulnerability requiring immediate remediation.
Remediation
- Apply GIGABYTE vendor patches immediately: Consult the GIGABYTE Security Advisory at gigabyte.com/Support/Security/1801 and update to patched versions: GIGABYTE APP Center above v1.05.21, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE 1.57+, XTREME GAMING ENGINE 1.26+, OC GURU II above v2.08.
- Uninstall unnecessary GIGABYTE utilities: If these tools are not actively required for hardware management, remove them entirely from all Windows systems to eliminate the vulnerable GPCIDrv and GDrv drivers.
- Block vulnerable driver hashes using WDAC or the Microsoft driver blocklist: Apply Windows Defender Application Control policies or the Microsoft recommended driver blocklist to prevent known-vulnerable GIGABYTE driver versions from loading.
- Monitor for physical memory access abuse and BYOVD indicators: Review endpoint security logs for unauthorized kernel driver loads, memory access anomalies, and patterns consistent with bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver (BYOVD) exploitation techniques.
- Enforce least-privilege access controls: Ensure that non-administrative users cannot install kernel drivers or interact with IOCTL interfaces, limiting the attack surface for physical memory exposure vulnerabilities.
Technical Details
CVE-2018-19321 is rooted in the GPCIDrv and GDrv kernel-mode drivers included with GIGABYTE's overclocking and system management tools. These drivers expose IOCTL (Input/Output Control) handlers that enable user-mode processes to directly read from and write to arbitrary physical memory addresses — a capability that bypasses all operating system memory isolation, virtual address space protections, and access control mechanisms. By writing to specific physical memory addresses corresponding to kernel data structures such as the EPROCESS token, page table entries, or kernel code sections, a local attacker can reliably escalate privileges to SYSTEM level. This technique does not require kernel exploits or heap spraying; it provides deterministic direct memory manipulation. The CVSS:3.1 vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H reflects that while local access is needed, the exploitation path is simple and the impact is complete across all three security dimensions. This vulnerability is a textbook example of the bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver (BYOVD) attack pattern.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2018-19321 being actively exploited?
Yes. CISA has confirmed active exploitation through the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a remediation deadline of 2022-11-14 and confirmed ransomware association. The EPSS score of 40.0% (97th percentile) indicates very high exploitation probability, placing this among the most actively targeted vulnerabilities in the NVD database.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-19321?
CVE-2018-19321 affects GIGABYTE APP Center v1.05.21 and earlier, AORUS GRAPHICS ENGINE before version 1.57, XTREME GAMING ENGINE before version 1.26, and OC GURU II v2.08. The vulnerability resides in the GPCIDrv and GDrv kernel drivers installed on Windows systems by these utilities.
How do I fix CVE-2018-19321?
Update all affected GIGABYTE software to patched versions per the vendor security advisory. If these utilities are not required, remove them and block the vulnerable driver hashes via Windows Defender Application Control or the Microsoft driver blocklist. See the Remediation section for step-by-step guidance.
How severe is CVE-2018-19321?
CVE-2018-19321 has a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.8 (HIGH), reflecting full CIA impact from unrestricted physical memory access. The EPSS percentile of 97.2% and KEV catalog listing with ransomware association make the operational risk considerably higher than the base score indicates, warranting immediate remediation action.
Need Help With Vulnerability Management?
Our security experts can help you prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities effectively.