CVE-2018-12198
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 · uneditedInsufficient input validation in Intel(R) Server Platform Services HECI subsystem before version SPS_E5_04.00.04.393.0 may allow privileged user to potentially cause a denial of service via local 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 · moderate confidenceInsufficient input validation in the Intel Server Platform Services Host Embedded Controller Interface (HECI) subsystem allows a privileged local user to potentially cause a denial of service. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to SPS_E5_04.00.04.393.0.
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< sps_e5_04.00.04.393.0CVSS 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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Confirm Intel SPS firmware presenceCheck if the server system has Intel Server Platform Services firmware installed. This is typically found on Intel server platforms using IPMI/BMC management interfaces, BIOS information, or Intel management software tools.Affected if The system has Intel Server Platform Services firmware present
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Retrieve SPS firmware versionQuery the installed SPS firmware version through available system management tools such as IPMI (ipmitool), Intel Server Management Software, or BIOS firmware information screens. The version is typically displayed as a string like SPS_E5_XX.XX.XX.XXXX.XAffected if Unable to retrieve the SPS firmware version from the system
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Compare against vulnerable version thresholdCompare the installed firmware version string against the vulnerable range: any version prior to SPS_E5_04.00.04.393.0 is affected. Version numbers should be compared lexicographically or numerically component by component.Affected if Installed version is earlier than SPS_E5_04.00.04.393.0
A system is affected if it runs Intel Server Platform Services firmware with a version number less than SPS_E5_04.00.04.393.0 on a server where the HECI interface is active.
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 dataUpdate Intel Server Platform Services to version SPS_E5_04.00.04.393.0 or later to remediate the input validation issue.
- 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-2018-12198 — 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-2018-12198 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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