CVE-2020-0591
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 · uneditedImproper buffer restrictions in BIOS firmware for some Intel(R) Processors 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 · moderate confidenceThis is a buffer restriction vulnerability in BIOS firmware affecting certain Intel processors. A privileged local user could potentially exploit improper buffer handling to escalate their privileges. The vulnerability requires local access and existing privileges, making it less likely to be exploited remotely.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the CPU modelOn Windows, run 'wmic cpu get name, processorid' or 'systeminfo' and review the processor field. On Linux, run 'lscpu' or 'cat /proc/cpuinfo' to identify the CPU model.Affected if The CPU is an Intel processor that is within the affected processor family for CVE-2020-0591 (consult Intel's official advisory for specific CPU model numbers).
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Identify Siemens Simatic PLC deviceFor Siemens PLC environments, check the device model via the TIA Portal project properties, the device's nameplate, or by accessing the device's web interface or PN/PN coupler interface.Affected if The device is a Siemens Simatic CPU 1518 4 or Simatic CPU 1518f 4 firmware.
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Check BIOS firmware versionOn Windows, run 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion' or enter BIOS/UEFI setup on boot. On Linux, run 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or 'cat /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version'.Affected if This system has an Intel BIOS firmware installed (note: all versions are affected per the advisory, so version comparison is not discriminatory).
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Verify local access contextDetermine if the system allows local user accounts or terminal access. Check for local user presence via 'net user' on Windows or 'cat /etc/passwd' on Linux. For Siemens devices, check if the device is accessible via local console or network management interfaces.Affected if Local user accounts or console access exists on the system, which is required for the privilege escalation vector.
Your environment is affected if you are running an Intel processor within the affected family, or using a Siemens Simatic CPU 1518 4 / 1518f 4 device, since all firmware versions are impacted.
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 dataApply the Intel BIOS/firmware update corresponding to the specific processor model. This is a vendor-supplied patch that must be obtained from Intel's security advisory and deployed through standard firmware update processes.
- 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-2020-0591 — 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-2020-0591 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
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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
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