CVE-2019-11097
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 · uneditedImproper directory permissions in the installer for Intel(R) Management Engine Consumer Driver for Windows before versions 11.8.70, 11.11.70, 11.22.70, 12.0.45,13.0.10 and 14.0.10; Intel(R) TXE before versions 3.1.70 and 4.0.20 may allow an authenticated 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 confidenceThe Intel Management Engine driver installer creates directories with overly permissive access controls, allowing authenticated local users to modify installation files and potentially escalate privileges to SYSTEM level.
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>= 3.0, < 3.1.70>= 4.0, < 4.0.20CVSS 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:3.1/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Intel ME/TXE firmware presenceUse system information utilities (such as 'wmic baseboard get product,manufacturer' or Intel System Utilities) to determine if Intel Management Engine or Trusted Execution Engine firmware is installed on the systemAffected if Intel ME or TXE firmware is not present on the system (not applicable)
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Retrieve installed firmware versionQuery the Intel Management Engine or Trusted Execution Engine firmware version through system BIOS information, Windows System Information, or Intel-specific diagnostic tools (such as Intel ME Info Tool or Intel TXE System Tool)Affected if Unable to retrieve a firmware version number for comparison
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Compare version against affected rangesCompare the retrieved firmware version to the affected ranges: version >= 3.0 and < 3.1.70, OR version >= 4.0 and < 4.0.20. Note that versions 3.1.70 and above, and 4.0.20 and above are not affectedAffected if The installed version falls within >= 3.0 and < 3.1.70, or >= 4.0 and < 4.0.20
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Inspect installer directories for permissive accessLocate directories created by Intel Management Engine driver installers (typically found under Program Files, ProgramData, or Windows system directories) and examine their access control list (ACL) permissions using 'icacls' or equivalent tools to determine if authenticated users have modify or write permissionsAffected if Installation directories grant authenticated local users modify or write access permissions
A system is affected if it has Intel Trusted Execution Engine Firmware version 3.0 through 3.1.69, or version 4.0 through 4.0.19 installed, and contains installer-created directories with weak permissions accessible to local authenticated users.
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 data3.1.704.0.20
Apply the vendor patches (Intel Management Engine versions 11.8.70+, 11.11.70+, 11.22.70+, 12.0.45+, 13.0.10+, 14.0.10+ and TXE versions 3.1.70+, 4.0.20+) to remediate the improper directory permissions.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-11097 — 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-2019-11097 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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