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Converged Security Management Engine FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2018-12208

HIGH · 7.6 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-03-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.1.60 / 4.0.10 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
Buffer overflow in HECI subsystem in Intel(R) CSME before versions 11.8.60, 11.11.60, 11.22.60 or 12.0.20 and Intel(R) TXE version before 3.1.60 or 4.0.10, or Intel(R) Server Platform Services before version 5.00.04.012 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

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Intel's Host Embedded Controller Interface (HECI) subsystem affecting CSME, TXE, and Server Platform Services firmware. An unauthenticated user with physical access can potentially execute arbitrary code due to inadequate bounds checking in the HECI communication layer.

MitigationApply Intel firmware updates to CSME versions 11.8.60/11.11.60/11.22.60/12.0.20 or later, TXE versions 3.1.60/4.0.10 or later, and SPS version 5.00.04.012 or later. Physical access requirement limits exploitability but updates remain critical for exposed 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
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:< 5.00.04.012
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:3.0/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
    Determine if the system uses Intel CSME, TXE, or SPS firmware. These are firmware components, not standard software. Check system BIOS/UEFI information, or use Intel tools like meinfo, MEInfo, or System Information utilities to list Intel firmware present.
    Affected if Any of CSME, TXE, or SPS firmware is present on the system
  2. Retrieve CSME firmware version
    Use Intel Management Engine tools (MEInfo, Intel Management Engine Interface driver tools) or check BIOS/UEFI setup for Intel Converged Security Management Engine version. On Linux, tools like `meinfo` or reading from /dev/mei may expose the version.
    Affected if Version is 11.0 through 11.8.59, OR 11.10 through 11.11.59, OR 11.20 through 11.22.59, OR 12.0.0 through 12.0.19
  3. Retrieve TXE firmware version
    Use Intel TXE detection tools or check via system firmware information. TXE is typically found on client/consumer platforms. Retrieve the Trusted Execution Engine firmware version from BIOS or Intel system tools.
    Affected if Version is 3.0 through 3.1.59, OR 4.0 through 4.0.09
  4. Retrieve SPS firmware version
    Check Intel Server Platform Services firmware version using server platform tools or BMC/IPMI interfaces. SPS is typically present on server systems. Retrieve the version through system management interfaces.
    Affected if Version is below 5.00.04.012 (any version less than 5.00.04.012)
  5. Verify HECI interface status
    Check if Host Embedded Controller Interface (HECI) is enabled on the system. This is typically configurable in BIOS/UEFI settings under Intel ME or Management Engine options. Also verify the HECI driver is loaded on the OS.
    Affected if HECI is enabled and the firmware version falls within affected ranges above

System is affected if it contains any Intel CSME, TXE, or SPS firmware version within the affected ranges AND has HECI interface enabled, as the buffer overflow exists in the HECI communication layer.

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 / 4.0.10 / 5.00.04.012 or later
Fixed in 3.1.604.0.105.00.04.012
Interim mitigation

Apply Intel firmware updates to CSME versions 11.8.60/11.11.60/11.22.60/12.0.20 or later, TXE versions 3.1.60/4.0.10 or later, and SPS version 5.00.04.012 or later. Physical access requirement limits exploitability but updates remain critical for exposed systems.

Fix this in Converged Security Management Engine Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2018-12208 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