CVE-2018-12199
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in an OS component in Intel CSME before versions 11.8.60, 11.11.60, 11.22.60 or 12.0.20 and Intel TXE version before 3.1.60 or 4.0.10 may allow a privileged 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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Intel CSME (Converged Security and Management Engine) and Intel TXE (Trusted Execution Engine) firmware components. This is a firmware-level buffer overflow that can potentially allow a privileged user with physical access to execute arbitrary code on affected systems.
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>= 11.0, < 11.8.60>= 11.10, < 11.11.60>= 11.20, < 11.22.60>= 12.0.0, < 12.0.20>= 3.0, < 3.1.60>= 4.0, < 4.0.10CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Intel CSME firmware versionUse Intel CSME Version Detection Tool (available from Intel Support), or access system BIOS/UEFI setup (press Del/F2 during boot), go to Advanced or Security tab, and look for 'Intel CSME Version' or 'Management Engine Firmware Version' entry. On Linux, you can also try: cat /sys/class/dmi/id/board_version or dmidecode -s bios-version (may show bundled firmware version).Affected if The installed CSME firmware version is >= 11.0 and < 11.8.60, OR >= 11.10 and < 11.11.60, OR >= 11.20 and < 11.22.60, OR >= 12.0.0 and < 12.0.20
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Check Intel TXE firmware versionAccess system BIOS/UEFI setup during boot, look under Advanced or Security sections for 'Intel TXE', 'Trusted Execution Engine', or 'Intel TXT' firmware version. The Intel CSME Version Detection Tool may also report TXE version if present on the system.Affected if The installed TXE firmware version is >= 3.0 and < 3.1.60, OR >= 4.0 and < 4.0.10
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Verify firmware version against all affected rangesDocument the exact numeric version strings for both CSME and TXE firmware (for example, 11.7.50.1845 or 12.0.10.1567). Compare each against the four CSME ranges and two TXE ranges provided in the CVE. Ensure you check all ranges, as versions in non-contiguous ranges are also affected.Affected if Any installed CSME or TXE version matches any of the vulnerable version ranges listed in the CVE
Your system is affected if either the Intel CSME firmware or Intel TXE firmware version falls within any of the specified vulnerable version ranges, regardless of other configurations, since this is a firmware-level buffer overflow.
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 data3.1.604.0.1011.8.60
Apply Intel-provided firmware updates to the CSME/TXE components: update to CSME versions 11.8.60, 11.11.60, 11.22.60, or 12.0.20 (or later) and TXE versions 3.1.60 or 4.0.10 (or later). These are typically delivered via BIOS/firmware updates from system OEMs.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-12199 — 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-2018-12199 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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