dbcve.org
Converged Security Management Engine FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2019-11110

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.1.70 / 4.0.20 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
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
Authentication bypass in the subsystem for Intel(R) CSME 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 a privileged 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

Authentication bypass vulnerability in Intel CSME and TXE subsystems allows a privileged local user to escalate privileges. The vulnerability exists in firmware versions prior to patched releases (CSME: 11.8.70/11.11.70/11.22.70/12.0.45/13.0.10/14.0.10; TXE: 3.1.70/4.0.20).

MitigationApply Intel-provided firmware updates via BIOS updates from system vendors or Intel's CSME/TXE firmware update tools. Prioritize systems with direct local access exposure.

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, < 11.8.70>= 11.10, < 11.11.70>= 11.20, < 11.22.70>= 12.0, < 12.0.45>= 13.0, < 13.0.10>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.10
Trusted Execution Engine FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 3.0, < 3.1.70>= 4.0, < 4.0.20

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 if Intel CSME firmware is present
    Use system firmware information tools such as `dmidecode -s bios-version` or check the System Information utility on Windows. On Linux, inspect /sys/class/dmi/id/ files (e.g., cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version). Intel CSME version may also appear as a separate firmware entry in UEFI/BIOS settings under 'Intel Management Engine' or 'ME' section.
    Affected if The system has Intel CSME firmware and the version falls within: >= 11.0 and < 11.8.70; or >= 11.10 and < 11.11.70; or >= 11.20 and < 11.22.70; or >= 12.0 and < 12.0.45; or >= 13.0 and < 13.0.10; or >= 14.0.0 and < 14.0.10
  2. Check if Intel TXE firmware is present
    Examine system firmware information via `dmidecode` or UEFI/BIOS settings. Intel TXE (Trusted Execution Engine) appears as a separate firmware component. On some systems, it may be listed alongside CSME in system information utilities or Intel diagnostic tools.
    Affected if The system has Intel TXE firmware and the version falls within: >= 3.0 and < 3.1.70; or >= 4.0 and < 4.0.20
  3. Retrieve exact CSME firmware version number
    Access the Intel Management Engine BIOS Extension (MEBX) by pressing Ctrl+P during system boot, or use Intel's CSME Version Detection tool if available. The version is displayed as a numeric build (for example, 11.0.0.1198 or 12.0.0.2001). Record the full version string.
    Affected if The CSME version is detected and is lower than the first fixed release in your specific branch (11.8.70, 11.11.70, 11.22.70, 12.0.45, 13.0.10, or 14.0.10 depending on your major version)
  4. Retrieve exact TXE firmware version number
    Access UEFI/BIOS settings or use firmware version detection utilities. TXE version is typically displayed in the same sections as CSME or under 'Trusted Execution Engine' in system firmware information.
    Affected if The TXE version is detected and is lower than 3.1.70 (for 3.x branch) or lower than 4.0.20 (for 4.x branch)

You are affected if your system contains Intel CSME firmware version below the fixed release for your specific branch or Intel TXE firmware version below 3.1.70 or 4.0.20.

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 3.1.70 / 4.0.20 / 11.8.70 or later
Fixed in 3.1.704.0.2011.8.70
Interim mitigation

Apply Intel-provided firmware updates via BIOS updates from system vendors or Intel's CSME/TXE firmware update tools. Prioritize systems with direct local access exposure.

Fix this in Converged Security Management Engine Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation12.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
48.0 hours of engineering $8,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $13,824.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-11110 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2019-11110 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