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Converged Security Management Engine FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2019-0098

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-05-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.1.65 / 4.0.15 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Logic bug vulnerability in subsystem for Intel(R) CSME before version 12.0.35, Intel(R) TXE before 3.1.65, 4.0.15 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege 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 · moderate confidence

A logic bug vulnerability in Intel CSME (Converged Security and Management Engine) and Intel TXE (Trusted Execution Engine) firmware subsystems allows an unauthenticated user with physical access to potentially escalate privileges. This affects the hardware root of trust, making it a severe security issue despite requiring physical proximity.

MitigationUpdate Intel CSME firmware to version 12.0.35 or later, and Intel TXE to versions 3.1.65/4.0.15 or later. In enterprise environments, deploy via Intel Endpoint Management Assistant (EMA) or similar firmware management tools.

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, < 11.8.65>= 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
Physical
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/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. Identify if Intel CSME firmware is present
    On Linux, run 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or check '/sys/class/dmi/id/' for bios information. On Windows, open BIOS/UEFI setup or use Intel System Tool. Look for Intel Converged Security Management Engine in the firmware/BIOS information.
    Affected if The system uses Intel processors with CSME firmware (most consumer and enterprise Intel systems have this)
  2. Retrieve installed CSME firmware version
    On Linux, try 'intelmetool -v' or 'dmidecode | grep -i manage'. On Windows, use Intel CSME Version Detection Tool or check BIOS/UEFI 'Security' menu under 'Intel Management Engine' or 'Intel CSME'. Record the numeric version (for example: 11.0.0, 11.7.0, 12.0.0).
    Affected if CSME version is detected and matches the affected ranges
  3. Check if CSME version falls within affected ranges
    Compare the detected version to these vulnerable ranges: 11.0.x to 11.8.64 (versions >= 11.0, < 11.8.65), 11.10.x to 11.11.64 (versions >= 11.10, < 11.11.65), 11.20.x to 11.22.64 (versions >= 11.20, < 11.22.65), or 12.0.x to 12.0.34 (versions >= 12.0, < 12.0.35).
    Affected if Installed CSME version is 11.0.x through 11.8.64, OR 11.10.x through 11.11.64, OR 11.20.x through 11.22.64, OR 12.0.x through 12.0.34
  4. Identify if Intel TXE firmware is present
    On Linux, run 'dmidecode' and look for 'Intel Trusted Execution Engine' or use 'intelmetool' which shows TXE status. On Windows, check BIOS/UEFI settings under 'Security' or 'Intel TXE' configuration.
    Affected if The system uses Intel processors with TXE firmware (typically found in some mobile and embedded Intel platforms)
  5. Retrieve installed TXE firmware version and check affected ranges
    Using the same tools as above (intelmetool -v, dmidecode, or BIOS), note the TXE version number. Compare to vulnerable ranges: 3.0.x to 3.1.64 (versions >= 3.0, < 3.1.65) or 4.0.x to 4.0.14 (versions >= 4.0, < 4.0.15).
    Affected if Installed TXE version is 3.0.x through 3.1.64, OR 4.0.x through 4.0.14

The system is affected if either Intel CSME firmware version is 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 version is 3.0-3.1.64 or 4.0-4.0.14.

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 / 4.0.15 / 11.8.65 or later
Fixed in 3.1.654.0.1511.8.65
Interim mitigation

Update Intel CSME firmware to version 12.0.35 or later, and Intel TXE to versions 3.1.65/4.0.15 or later. In enterprise environments, deploy via Intel Endpoint Management Assistant (EMA) or similar firmware management tools.

Fix this in Converged Security Management Engine Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
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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-2019-0098 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
  • 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