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Core I7 6970hq FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2019-0185

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-11-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 in protected memory subsystem for SMM for 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) Processor families; Intel(R) Xeon(R) Processor E3-1500 v5 and v6 families; Intel(R) Xeon(R) E-2100 and E-2200 Processor families with Intel(R) Processor Graphics may allow a privileged user to potentially enable information disclosure 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 · moderate confidence

Insufficient access control in the System Management Mode (SMM) protected memory subsystem of specific Intel processor generations allows a privileged local user to potentially disclose sensitive information. SMM operates at the highest privilege level on x86 systems, and this vulnerability bypasses intended memory isolation protections.

MitigationApply the relevant BIOS/UEFI firmware update from Intel or the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for affected processors. This is a firmware-level patch, not a software update.

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 I7 6970hq FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Core I7 6920hq FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Core I7 6870hq FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Core I7 6822eq FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Core I7 6820hq FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Core I7 6820hk FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Core I7 6820eq FirmwareOperating system
Affected:all versions
Core I7 6785r FirmwareOperating system
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
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 processor model
    On Windows, open Task Manager > Performance tab > CPU, or run 'wmic cpu get name'. On Linux, run 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' and look for 'model name'. Alternatively, use CPU-Z or similar tools.
    Affected if The processor model is any of: Intel Core i7-6970HQ, 6920HQ, 6870HQ, 6822EQ, 6820HQ, 6820HK, 6820EQ, or 6785R.
  2. Check BIOS/UEFI firmware version
    On Windows, run 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' or check in System Information (msinfo32). On Linux, run 'dmidecode -s bios-version'. Alternatively, access BIOS/UEFI setup on boot (press Del/F2/F12) and check the version listed.
    Affected if The firmware version is any version (the advisory states 'all versions' are affected).
  3. Verify if SMM is enabled and accessible
    Check BIOS/UEFI settings for System Management Mode configuration. Look for options like 'SMM Security' or 'Lock TPM' in the BIOS security settings. On Linux, you can also check 'dmesg | grep -i smm' for SMM-related messages.
    Affected if SMM is enabled (which it is by default on most systems) and the processor is on the affected list.
  4. Check for firmware update availability
    Visit the Intel or OEM support website for your specific processor or system and look for BIOS/UEFI updates. Check the release notes for security patches addressing SMM vulnerabilities.
    Affected if No firmware update has been applied, or the installed version predates the patch for CVE-2019-0185.

You are affected if your system uses any of the listed Intel Core i7 processor variants and the BIOS/UEFI firmware has not been updated with the Intel security patch for this SMM vulnerability.

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 the relevant BIOS/UEFI firmware update from Intel or the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for affected processors. This is a firmware-level patch, not a software update.

Fix this in Core I7 6970hq Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2019-0185 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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