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Converged Security Management Engine FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2020-0536

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-06-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.1.75 / 4.0.25 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Improper input validation in the DAL subsystem for Intel(R) CSME versions before 11.8.77, 11.12.77, 11.22.77, 12.0.64, 13.0.32,14.0.33 and Intel(R) TXE versions before 3.1.75 and 4.0.25 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure via network 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

Improper input validation in Intel's Device Abstraction Layer (DAL) subsystem within the Converged Security and Manageability Engine (CSME) and Trusted Execution Engine (TXE) firmware allows unauthenticated remote attackers to potentially disclose sensitive information via network access.

MitigationApply Intel firmware updates to patched versions (CSME 11.8.77/11.12.77/11.22.77/12.0.64/13.0.32/14.0.33 or later, TXE 3.1.75/4.0.25 or later) via OEM/BIOS update; restrict network exposure of affected systems until patched.

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, < 11.8.77>= 11.10, < 11.12.77>= 11.20, < 11.22.77>= 12.0, < 12.0.64>= 13.0, < 13.0.32>= 14.0, < 14.0.33
Trusted Execution Engine FirmwareOperating system
Affected:>= 3.0, < 3.1.75>= 4.0, < 4.0.25

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 CSME firmware version
    Check the Intel Converged Security Management Engine firmware version via system BIOS/UEFI information, Intel Management Engine BIOS Extension (MEBx), or Intel system tools (such as Intel Processor Identification Utility or Intel System Tools). On Linux systems, you can also try running 'dmidecode' and look for 'Management Engine' or 'ME' firmware version entries.
    Affected if The displayed CSME version falls within any of these ranges: >= 11.0 and < 11.8.77; >= 11.10 and < 11.12.77; >= 11.20 and < 11.22.77; >= 12.0 and < 12.0.64; >= 13.0 and < 13.0.32; >= 14.0 and < 14.0.33
  2. Identify TXE firmware version
    Check the Intel Trusted Execution Engine firmware version via system BIOS/UEFI information, Intel Management Engine BIOS Extension (MEBx), or Intel system tools. On Linux, 'dmidecode' may display TXE version information under firmware version fields.
    Affected if The displayed TXE version falls within any of these ranges: >= 3.0 and < 3.1.75; >= 4.0 and < 4.0.25
  3. Verify DAL subsystem is accessible
    Confirm that the Device Abstraction Layer (DAL) subsystem is enabled and accessible on the affected system. This is typically part of the Intel Management Engine functionality. Check system BIOS/UEFI settings for Intel Management Engine or DAL-related configurations.
    Affected if The DAL subsystem is enabled and the system is network-connected, as the vulnerability allows remote disclosure via network access to this subsystem

Your system is affected if either the CSME firmware version is one of the listed vulnerable versions (11.x prior to 11.8.77/11.12.77/11.22.77, 12.x prior to 12.0.64, 13.x prior to 13.0.32, or 14.x prior to 14.0.33) or the TXE firmware version is 3.x prior to 3.1.75 or 4.x prior to 4.0.25, and the DAL subsystem is enabled and network-accessible.

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 3.1.75 / 4.0.25 / 11.8.77 or later
Fixed in 3.1.754.0.2511.8.77
Interim mitigation

Apply Intel firmware updates to patched versions (CSME 11.8.77/11.12.77/11.22.77/12.0.64/13.0.32/14.0.33 or later, TXE 3.1.75/4.0.25 or later) via OEM/BIOS update; restrict network exposure of affected systems until patched.

Fix this in Converged Security Management Engine Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2020-0536 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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