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Converged Security Management Engine FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2018-12191

HIGH · 7.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-03-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.1.60 / 4.00.04.383 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Bounds check in Kernel subsystem in Intel CSME before version 11.8.60, 11.11.60, 11.22.60 or 12.0.20, or Intel(R) Server Platform Services before versions 4.00.04.383 or SPS 4.01.02.174, or Intel(R) TXE before versions 3.1.60 or 4.0.10 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially execute arbitrary code via physical access.

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 · high confidence

A bounds check vulnerability exists in the Kernel subsystem of Intel CSME, Server Platform Services (SPS), and Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) firmware. An unauthenticated user with physical access can potentially exploit this flaw to execute arbitrary code. Affected versions are CSME before 11.8.60/11.11.60/11.22.60/12.0.20, SPS before 4.00.04.383/4.01.02.174, and TXE before 3.1.60/4.0.10.

MitigationApply Intel-provided firmware updates to all affected CSME, SPS, and TXE installations. Prioritize systems with higher physical exposure risk. In enterprise environments, test updates on non-production systems before deployment.

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 data
Converged Security Management Engine FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.8.60>= 11.10, < 11.11.60>= 11.20, < 11.22.60>= 12.0.0, < 12.0.20
Server Platform Services FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 4.00.04.367, < 4.00.04.383>= 4.01.00.152.0, < 4.01.02.174
Trusted Execution Engine FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 3.0, < 3.1.60>= 4.0, < 4.0.10

CVSS 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
Physical
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Intel firmware components present
    Check system information or BIOS to determine if Intel CSME, SPS, or TXE firmware is present. On Linux, run: 'dmidecode' or check /sys/class/dmi/id/ for firmware version entries. On Windows, use system information or Intel platforms tools.
    Affected if Any of CSME, SPS, or TXE firmware is present on the system
  2. Retrieve CSME firmware version
    On Linux, check /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version or use 'intelmetool' if available. On Windows, use Intel ME System Tools or system information. Compare the version against the affected ranges: < 11.8.60, < 11.11.60, < 11.22.60, or < 12.0.20.
    Affected if CSME version falls within any of these ranges: >= 11.0 and < 11.8.60; >= 11.10 and < 11.11.60; >= 11.20 and < 11.22.60; >= 12.0.0 and < 12.0.20
  3. Retrieve SPS firmware version
    Use Intel ME System Tools, platform-specific tools, or system firmware information interfaces. Check the SPS firmware version against the affected ranges.
    Affected if SPS version is >= 4.00.04.367 and < 4.00.04.383, or >= 4.01.00.152.0 and < 4.01.02.174
  4. Retrieve TXE firmware version
    Access firmware information via BIOS setup, Intel tools, or operating system firmware queries. Compare against the affected version ranges.
    Affected if TXE version is >= 3.0 and < 3.1.60, or >= 4.0 and < 4.0.10
  5. Verify physical access exposure
    Assess whether the system is physically accessible to unauthenticated users (laptops in public areas, unattended servers, etc.). The vulnerability requires physical access for exploitation.
    Affected if System has physical exposure and any of the above firmware versions are confirmed vulnerable

The system is affected if any Intel CSME, SPS, or TXE firmware version present matches the affected version ranges and the system has potential physical access exposure.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.1.60 / 4.00.04.383 / 4.0.10 or later
Fixed in 3.1.604.00.04.3834.0.10
Interim mitigation

Apply Intel-provided firmware updates to all affected CSME, SPS, and TXE installations. Prioritize systems with higher physical exposure risk. In enterprise environments, test updates on non-production systems before deployment.

Fix this in Converged Security Management Engine Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-12191 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data