CVE-2018-6622
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered that affects all producers of BIOS firmware who make a certain realistic interpretation of an obscure portion of the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 specification. An abnormal case is not handled properly by this firmware while S3 sleep and can clear TPM 2.0. It allows local users to overwrite static PCRs of TPM and neutralize the security features of it, such as seal/unseal and remote attestation.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability exists in BIOS firmware from multiple vendors who implement a specific interpretation of the TCG TPM 2.0 specification. During S3 sleep state, the firmware fails to properly handle an abnormal case, which can result in clearing the TPM 2.0. Local users can exploit this to overwrite static Platform Configuration Registers (PCRs), effectively neutralizing TPM security features including seal/unseal operations and remote attestation.
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= 2.0CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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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Verify TPM 2.0 is presentUse 'tpm2_getcap -c properties-fixed' or Windows Device Manager under Security Devices to confirm a TPM 2.0 device is detectedAffected if No TPM 2.0 device is found, the vulnerability does not apply
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Check installed BIOS/firmware versionRun 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or check the system BIOS/UEFI information screen to record the current firmware versionAffected if Unable to determine firmware version - document current version for comparison against future vendor advisories
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Inspect static PCR valuesUse 'tpm2_pcrread' to read PCR banks 0-7 (static PCRs), particularly PCR 0-7 which retain values across TPM resetsAffected if PCR values have changed unexpectedly or show values of all zeros when they should contain firmware/boot measurements
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Test TPM seal/unseal functionalityUse 'tpm2_seal' to create a sealed data object, then attempt 'tpm2_unseal' to retrieve it, or verify via 'tpm2_getcap handles-transient'Affected if Seal/unseal operations fail or produce unexpected errors, indicating TPM integrity may be compromised
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Check S3 sleep state historyReview system event logs for S3/standby sleep transitions or use 'powercfg /a' to confirm S3 is enabled, then check if S3 has been usedAffected if System has entered S3 sleep state - this is the condition under which the abnormal case can trigger the vulnerability
User is affected if TPM 2.0 is present, the system has undergone S3 sleep cycles, and static PCR values have been altered or TPM operations fail unexpectedly.
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 dataApply BIOS/firmware updates from the system manufacturer that address this TPM 2.0 S3 sleep handling issue. Verify TPM functionality and PCR integrity after applying the update.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $10,240.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-6622 — 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-2018-6622 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
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