Converged Security Management Engine FirmwareApplication · Intel

CVE-2019-0086

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-05-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.1.65 / 11.8.65 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
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
Insufficient access control vulnerability in Dynamic Application Loader software for Intel(R) CSME before versions 11.8.65, 11.11.65, 11.22.65, 12.0.35 and Intel(R) TXE 3.1.65, 4.0.15 may allow an unprivileged user to potentially enable escalation of privilege 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 · high confidence

Insufficient access control in Intel CSME and TXE firmware allows unprivileged local users to potentially escalate privileges. This is a firmware-level vulnerability in Intel's management engine that should be addressed through patching.

MitigationUpdate Intel CSME firmware to versions 11.8.65, 11.11.65, 11.22.65, or 12.0.35 and Intel TXE to versions 3.1.65 or 4.0.15 or later. Check with OEM for BIOS/firmware updates containing these patches.

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 FirmwareApplication
Affected:>= 11.0, < 11.8.65>= 11.10, < 11.11.65>= 11.20, < 11.22.65>= 12.0, < 12.0.35
Trusted Execution Engine FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 3.0, < 3.1.65>= 4.0, <= 4.0.15

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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Intel CSME firmware version
    Use Intel Management Engine BIOS Extension (MEBX) by accessing it during boot (typically press Ctrl+P), or use Intel System Tools (meinfo.exe or linux tools). Alternatively, check BIOS/UEFI setup page under 'Intel Management Engine' or 'Me FW Version' settings.
    Affected if The installed CSME version falls within: >=11.0 and <11.8.65, OR >=11.10 and <11.11.65, OR >=11.20 and <11.22.65, OR >=12.0 and <12.0.35
  2. Check Intel TXE firmware version
    Access Intel Management Engine BIOS Extension (MEBX) during boot, or use Intel System Information tool. TXE version may also appear in BIOS setup under 'Trusted Execution' or 'Intel TXE' settings.
    Affected if The installed TXE version falls within: >=3.0 and <3.1.65, OR >=4.0 and <=4.0.15
  3. Confirm management engine is enabled
    Enter BIOS/UEFI setup and verify Intel Management Engine Interface (MEI) or Intel CSME is enabled. On Linux, check 'lspci' for 'Management Engine' or run 'dmesg' for Intel ME messages.
    Affected if Intel CSME or TXE is present and enabled on the system (the vulnerability only applies to systems with these components)
  4. Compare versions against CVE affected ranges
    Document the exact firmware version numbers found in steps 1 and 2, then cross-reference against the vulnerable version ranges listed in this CVE.
    Affected if Any installed version matches the vulnerable ranges listed for CSME or TXE

The system is affected if it has Intel CSME firmware versions 11.0-11.8.64, 11.10-11.11.64, 11.20-11.22.64, or 12.0-12.0.34; or Intel TXE firmware versions 3.0-3.1.64 or 4.0-4.0.15, with the management engine enabled.

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 3.1.65 / 11.8.65 / 11.11.65 or later
Fixed in 3.1.6511.8.6511.11.65
Interim mitigation

Update Intel CSME firmware to versions 11.8.65, 11.11.65, 11.22.65, or 12.0.35 and Intel TXE to versions 3.1.65 or 4.0.15 or later. Check with OEM for BIOS/firmware updates containing these patches.

Fix this in Converged Security Management Engine Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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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-2019-0086 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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