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Server Platform ServicesApplication · Intel

CVE-2020-0586

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-06-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Improper initialization in subsystem for Intel(R) SPS versions before SPS_E3_04.01.04.109.0 and SPS_E3_04.08.04.070.0 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege 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 · moderate confidence

Improper initialization in Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) firmware allows an authenticated local user to potentially escalate privileges or cause denial of service. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient initialization of subsystem components in versions prior to SPS_E3_04.01.04.109.0 and SPS_E3_04.08.04.070.0.

MitigationUpgrade Intel SPS firmware to version SPS_E3_04.01.04.109.0 or SPS_E3_04.08.04.070.0 or later. As this is a firmware-level update affecting the baseboard management controller subsystem, apply within a planned maintenance window with appropriate rollback procedures.

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
Server Platform ServicesApplication
Affected:>= sps_e3_04.00.00.000.0, < sps_e3_04.01.04.109.0>= sps_e3_04.08.00.000.0, < sps_e3_04.08.04.070.0>= sps_e5_04.00.00.000.0, < sps_e5_04.01.04.380.0>= sps_soc-a_04.00.00.000.0, < sps_soc-a_04.00.04.211.0>= sps_soc-x_04.00.00.000.0, < sps_soc-x_04.00.04.128.0

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 SPS firmware presence
    Check system DMI/SMBIOS data for Intel Server Platform Services using 'dmidecode -t 0' or 'dmidecode -t 1' and look for entries containing 'Server Platform Services' or 'SPS'. Alternatively, access the BMC/IPMI interface (e.g., ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc_ip> -U <user> raw commands) to query SPS firmware information.
    Affected if No SPS firmware entry is found in DMI data or SPS is not listed as a system component.
  2. Retrieve SPS firmware version
    Query the BMC for SPS firmware version using IPMI: 'ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc_ip> -U <user> raw 0x3c 0x01' or check via BMC web interface under Firmware/BIOS information. On some systems, 'dmidecode' may display the SPS firmware version under 'Baseboard Management Controller' or 'Firmware' entries.
    Affected if Cannot retrieve an SPS firmware version from the system.
  3. Compare version against affected sps_e3 range
    Match the retrieved SPS firmware version string to the affected ranges. For sps_e3 branch: versions >= 4.00.00.000.0 and < 4.01.04.109.0, or >= 4.08.00.000.0 and < 4.08.04.070.0 are vulnerable. Example vulnerable: 4.01.00.000.0; fixed: 4.01.04.109.0.
    Affected if The installed sps_e3 version falls within any of the affected ranges (>=4.00.00.000.0 and <4.01.04.109.0, or >=4.08.00.000.0 and <4.08.04.070.0).
  4. Compare version against affected sps_e5 range
    For sps_e5 branch: versions >= 4.00.00.000.0 and < 4.01.04.380.0 are vulnerable. Example vulnerable: 4.00.00.000.0; fixed: 4.01.04.380.0.
    Affected if The installed sps_e5 version is >=4.00.00.000.0 and <4.01.04.380.0.
  5. Compare version against affected sps_soc ranges
    For sps_soc-a branch: versions >= 4.00.00.000.0 and < 4.00.04.211.0 are vulnerable. For sps_soc-x branch: versions >= 4.00.00.000.0 and < 4.00.04.128.0 are vulnerable. Compare your installed version against these ranges.
    Affected if The installed sps_soc-a version is >=4.00.00.000.0 and <4.00.04.211.0, OR the installed sps_soc-x version is >=4.00.00.000.0 and <4.00.04.128.0.

The system is affected if Intel Server Platform Services firmware is present and its version falls within any of the vulnerable ranges across sps_e3, sps_e5, sps_soc-a, or sps_soc-x branches.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Intel SPS firmware to version SPS_E3_04.01.04.109.0 or SPS_E3_04.08.04.070.0 or later. As this is a firmware-level update affecting the baseboard management controller subsystem, apply within a planned maintenance window with appropriate rollback procedures.

Fix this in Server Platform Services Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,180
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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-2020-0586 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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data