dbcve.org
Core I3Hardware / appliance · Intel

CVE-2018-3615

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-08-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
75/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Systems with microprocessors utilizing speculative execution and Intel software guard extensions (Intel SGX) may allow unauthorized disclosure of information residing in the L1 data cache from an enclave to an attacker with local user access via a side-channel analysis.

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 speculative execution side-channel vulnerability (L1 Terminal Fault) affecting Intel SGX allows a local attacker to extract sensitive data from SGX enclaves by manipulating cache timing to leak information from the L1 data cache. The attacker must have local user access to the system.

MitigationApply Intel microcode updates and SGX Platform Software (PSW) updates provided by Intel. Ensure SGX is properly configured and consider disabling SGX enclaves if updates are unavailable.

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
Core I3Hardware / appliance
Affected:= 6006u= 6098p= 6100= 6100e= 6100h= 6100t= 6100te= 6100u= 6102e= 6157u= 6167u= 6300
Core I5Hardware / appliance
Affected:= 650= 655k= 660= 661= 670= 680= 6200u= 6260u= 6267u= 6287u= 6300hq= 6300u
Core I7Hardware / appliance
Affected:= 610e= 620le= 620lm= 620m= 620ue= 620um= 640lm= 640m= 640um= 660lm= 660ue= 660um
Xeon E3Hardware / appliance
Affected:= 1515m_v5= 1535m_v5= 1545m_v5= 1558l_v5= 1565l_v5= 1575m_v5= 1578l_v5= 1585_v5= 1585l_v5= 1505m_v6= 1535m_v6
Xeon E3 1220 V5Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Xeon E3 1225 V5Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Xeon E3 1230 V5Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Xeon E3 1235l V5Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions

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

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

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 your CPU model
    Run 'wmic cpu get name' on Windows or 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' on Linux to get the processor name
    Affected if The CPU model matches one of the listed affected variants (e.g., Core i5-6300hq, Xeon E3-1535m_v5)
  2. Verify SGX is supported by the CPU
    On Windows, run 'wmic cpu get caption' and check for SGX in the feature flags or use Intel's SGX detection tool. On Linux, check /proc/cpuinfo for 'sgx' in flags or run 'cpuid | grep SGX'
    Affected if SGX is not listed as supported - the vulnerability does not apply to systems without SGX hardware support
  3. Check if SGX is enabled in BIOS/UEFI
    Access the system BIOS/UEFI settings during boot and look for Intel SGX, Software Guard Extensions, or Processor Security settings. Check if it is set to Enabled or Software Control
    Affected if SGX is disabled in BIOS - the attack surface is not present when SGX is disabled at the firmware level
  4. Check SGX status at the OS level
    On Windows, run 'systeminfo' and look for SGX details, or check Event Viewer for SGX-related events. On Linux, check 'ls -la /dev/sgx*' or run 'intel-sgx-sysinfo' if installed
    Affected if SGX is disabled or not available at the OS level - no enclaves can be created or used
  5. Detect if SGX enclaves are deployed or running
    On Windows, check for SGX-related software installations or look for processes using SGX. On Linux, check for applications that utilize SGX or look for /opt/intel/sgx* directories
    Affected if No SGX enclaves are deployed - there is no sensitive data in SGX-protected memory to extract

You are affected if your CPU model matches the affected list AND SGX is enabled and actively running enclaves that contain sensitive data.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Intel microcode updates and SGX Platform Software (PSW) updates provided by Intel. Ensure SGX is properly configured and consider disabling SGX enclaves if updates are unavailable.

Fix this in Core I3 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2018-3615 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