IOMMU Misconfiguration in MSI Motherboards Enables DMA Memory Access

Executive Summary

This vulnerability affects certain MSI motherboard models based on Intel 600/700 chipsets. It is caused by a Protection Mechanism Failure due to the IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) not being properly enabled. Because of this, an unauthenticated physical attacker with access to a DMA-capable PCIe device can read and write arbitrary physical memory before the operating system kernel and its security features are loaded. [1, 2]

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Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can lead to a full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the system. An attacker can read and write arbitrary physical memory, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data, modifying system memory, or disrupting system operations before the OS kernel and its security features are active. [1, 2]

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Mitigation Strategies

The recommended immediate step to mitigate this vulnerability is to update the motherboard firmware to the latest version. [1, 2]

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Compliance Impact

The vulnerability allows unauthenticated physical attackers to read and write arbitrary physical memory, leading to a full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. Such a compromise could result in violations of data protection standards and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA, which require safeguarding sensitive data against unauthorized access and ensuring data integrity and availability. Therefore, organizations using affected MSI motherboards may face compliance risks if this vulnerability is exploited and not mitigated. [1, 2]

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