dbcve.org
Graphics DriverApplication · Intel

CVE-2020-0515

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-03-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.33.49.5100 / 15.36.38.5117 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Uncontrolled search path element in the installer for Intel(R) Graphics Drivers before versions 26.20.100.7584, 15.45.30.5103, 15.40.44.5107, 15.36.38.5117, and 15.33.49.5100 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 confidence

Uncontrolled search path element vulnerability in Intel Graphics Driver installer allows an authenticated local user to place malicious files in the search path, which get loaded during installation, potentially leading to privilege escalation. This is a DLL hijacking / path injection issue in the driver installation process.

MitigationUpdate Intel Graphics Drivers to version 26.20.100.7584 or later for 10th Gen, 15.45.30.5103 or later for 11th Gen, 15.40.44.5107 or later for 10th Gen U-series, 15.36.38.5117 or later for 8th Gen, and 15.33.49.5100 or later for 7th Gen to remediate this vulnerability.

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
Graphics DriverApplication
Affected:>= 15.33, < 15.33.49.5100>= 15.36, < 15.36.38.5117>= 15.40, < 15.40.44.5107>= 15.45, < 15.45.30.5103>= 26.20, < 26.20.100.7584

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Intel Graphics Driver is installed
    Open Windows Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters', and look for Intel integrated graphics entries (e.g., Intel UHD Graphics, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, etc.)
    Affected if No Intel graphics device is listed in Device Manager under Display adapters.
  2. Locate the installed driver version
    In Device Manager, right-click the Intel graphics device, select 'Properties', go to the 'Driver' tab, and note the 'Driver Version' field. Alternatively, run 'dxdiag' in the Run dialog, go to the 'Display' tab, and check the 'Driver Version' field under Device.
    Affected if Cannot determine the driver version from Device Manager or DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
  3. Compare the installed version against affected ranges
    Compare the found driver version to these vulnerable ranges: 15.33.x.x (below 15.33.49.5100), 15.36.x.x (below 15.36.38.5117), 15.40.x.x (below 15.40.44.5107), 15.45.x.x (below 15.45.30.5103), or 26.20.x.x (below 26.20.100.7584). Versions outside these ranges or the specific fixed versions are not affected.
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: >=15.33 and <15.33.49.5100, OR >=15.36 and <15.36.38.5117, OR >=15.40 and <15.40.44.5107, OR >=15.45 and <15.45.30.5103, OR >=26.20 and <26.20.100.7584.
  4. Check the driver date as secondary verification
    In Device Manager (Driver tab) or the Intel Driver & Support Assistant, note the 'Driver Date' field. Compare it to the fixed release dates corresponding to each version branch.
    Affected if The driver date is older than the fixed version release dates for your specific GPU generation.

You are affected if your installed Intel Graphics Driver version falls within any of the five vulnerable version ranges listed in the CVE.

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 15.33.49.5100 / 15.36.38.5117 / 15.40.44.5107 or later
Fixed in 15.33.49.510015.36.38.511715.40.44.5107
Interim mitigation

Update Intel Graphics Drivers to version 26.20.100.7584 or later for 10th Gen, 15.45.30.5103 or later for 11th Gen, 15.40.44.5107 or later for 10th Gen U-series, 15.36.38.5117 or later for 8th Gen, and 15.33.49.5100 or later for 7th Gen to remediate this vulnerability.

Fix this in Graphics Driver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-0515 — 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-2020-0515 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