CVE-2019-11173
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 · uneditedInsufficient session validation in Intel(R) Baseboard Management Controller firmware may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure and/or denial of service 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 confidenceThis vulnerability in Intel BMC firmware involves insufficient session validation that allows an unauthenticated local attacker to potentially disclose information or cause denial of service. The issue stems from improper validation of session tokens or state within the BMC, which is the out-of-band management controller providing remote administrative access to servers.
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< 2.18CVSS 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
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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.
-
Identify Intel BMC presenceCheck if the server has an Intel Baseboard Management Controller by querying IPMI: run `ipmitool mc info` or check the BMC web interface. Look for Intel BMC or iDRAC in the output.Affected if No Intel BMC is found or the system does not use Intel BMC firmware
-
Determine BMC firmware versionRetrieve the BMC firmware version using IPMI command: `ipmitool mc get firmware revision` or access the BMC web UI under 'System Information' or 'Firmware Inventory'. Record the reported firmware version number.Affected if The installed BMC firmware version cannot be determined or is not displayed
-
Compare version to vulnerability thresholdCompare the retrieved firmware version against the affected range: versions below 2.18 are vulnerable. Intel BMC firmware versions are typically displayed as a three-digit number (e.g., 2.15, 2.17, 2.18).Affected if The installed firmware version is below 2.18 (e.g., 2.15, 2.16, 2.17)
-
Verify BMC network management is accessibleConfirm the BMC network interface is enabled by checking if the BMC responds to ping on its dedicated IP address, or by checking the BMC configuration: run `ipmitool lan print 1` or view network settings in the BMC web interface under 'Network' or 'IP Settings'.Affected if The BMC network interface is enabled and reachable, making the session validation flaw potentially exploitable remotely on the management network
The system is affected if it runs Intel BMC firmware with version 2.17 or lower and has the BMC network management interface enabled.
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 data2.18
Apply the Intel firmware update for affected BMC versions. If no update is available, restrict physical access to servers and implement additional network isolation for the BMC management network.
- 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-2019-11173 — 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-2019-11173 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
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.
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.
- 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