CVE-2017-5703
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedConfiguration of SPI Flash in platforms based on multiple Intel platforms allow a local attacker to alter the behavior of the SPI flash potentially leading to a Denial of Service.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThis vulnerability allows a local attacker to modify SPI Flash configuration on affected Intel platforms. The SPI Flash stores critical firmware/boot code, and improper configuration permits unauthorized modification, which can disrupt normal platform operation leading to Denial of Service.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify CPU modelRun 'wmic cpu get name,processorid' or check system information to confirm the CPU is one of the affected models: I7-8550u, I7-8559u, I7-8650u, I7-8700, I7-8700b, I7-8700k, I7-8700t, or I7-8705gAffected if The installed CPU matches any of the listed affected models (all versions are vulnerable)
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Access UEFI/BIOS settingsReboot the system and enter UEFI/BIOS setup (typically press Del, F2, or F12 during boot). Navigate to either 'Security', 'Intel SPI', 'Flash Protection', or 'SPI Configuration' menusAffected if The system uses one of the affected CPUs - proceed to check write protection settings
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Verify SPI Flash write protection statusWithin UEFI/BIOS, locate SPI Flash write protection settings (often under 'BIOS Write Protection', 'SPI Flash Write Protect', or 'Flash Protection Range' options). Check if write protection is ENABLED or DISABLEDAffected if Write protection is DISABLED or not properly configured - the SPI Flash is vulnerable to unauthorized modification
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Check SPI descriptor configurationIf available in UEFI/BIOS, inspect SPI Descriptor Table or SPI Region Permissions. Look for 'Read/Write' permissions on the BIOS/Firmware region. Check if 'Write' permissions are granted to the BIOS region without proper restrictionAffected if The BIOS/Firmware SPI region allows write access without proper restrictions or the descriptor shows weak permissions
If the system contains any of the listed CPU models and SPI Flash write protection is disabled or improperly configured in UEFI/BIOS, the system is affected by this vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply Intel-provided firmware updates for affected platforms and ensure SPI Flash write protections are properly enabled in UEFI/BIOS settings. Restrict physical access to vulnerable systems to limit local attack vector.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-5703 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-5703 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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