CVE-2024-9498
Published: 24 January 2025
Summary
CVE-2024-9498 is a high-severity Uncontrolled Search Path Element (CWE-427) vulnerability in Silabs (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.6 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique DLL (T1574.001); ranked at the 13.3th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 CM-11 (User-installed Software) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2024-9498 is a DLL hijacking vulnerability (CWE-427) caused by an uncontrolled search path in the USBXpress SDK installer from Silicon Labs. Published on 2025-01-24, it affects users running the impacted installer and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H), indicating high severity due to its potential for significant impact.
A local attacker with no required privileges can exploit this vulnerability by placing a malicious DLL in a directory included in the installer's search path and inducing a user to execute the installer. This requires user interaction but low complexity, enabling privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution upon DLL loading, with high impacts across confidentiality, integrity, availability, and a change in scope.
Silicon Labs has issued an advisory with further details at https://community.silabs.com/068Vm00000JUQwd, which security practitioners should consult for mitigation guidance and patch information.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-50363
Vulnerability details
DLL hijacking vulnerabilities, caused by an uncontrolled search path in the USBXpress SDK installer can lead to privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution when running the impacted installer.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
Direct DLL hijacking via uncontrolled search path (CWE-427) in installer enables search order hijacking and side-loading for code execution/priv esc.
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Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Timely flaw remediation through patching the USBXpress SDK installer directly eliminates the uncontrolled search path vulnerability as advised by Silicon Labs.
Restricts user-installed software to approved executables only, preventing execution of the vulnerable USBXpress SDK installer.
Malicious code protection scans and blocks the attacker's malicious DLL placed in the installer's search path directories.