dbcve.org
Bmc FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2020-11486

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.38.30 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
NVIDIA DGX servers, all DGX-1 with BMC firmware versions prior to 3.38.30, contain a vulnerability in the AMI BMC firmware in which software allows an attacker to upload or transfer files that can be automatically processed within the product's environment, which may lead to remote code execution.

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

Arbitrary file upload vulnerability in AMI BMC firmware on NVIDIA DGX-1 servers (versions prior to 3.38.30). Attackers can upload malicious files that get automatically processed by the firmware environment, enabling remote code execution.

MitigationUpdate BMC firmware to version 3.38.30 or later. Apply during a scheduled maintenance window following NVIDIA's firmware update 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
Bmc FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 3.38.30

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 system model
    Use commands like `dmidecode -s system-product-name` or check BMC/BIOS system information to confirm the hardware is an NVIDIA DGX-1 server
    Affected if System is not an NVIDIA DGX-1 server (different hardware is not affected by this specific CVE)
  2. Access BMC interface
    Log into the BMC web interface or use IPMI/Redfish to access the Baseboard Management Controller. Common access points: https://[BMC-IP] for web UI or `ipmitool -I lanplus -H [BMC-IP] -U admin -P password chassis status`
    Affected if BMC is not accessible or not present (this CVE targets the BMC firmware specifically)
  3. Retrieve BMC firmware version
    Within the BMC interface, navigate to the Firmware Information or About section. Via command line: `ipmitool -I lanplus -H [BMC-IP] -U admin -P password raw` or use Redfish API endpoint `/redfish/v1/Managers/Self`
    Affected if Unable to retrieve BMC firmware version (cannot determine if vulnerable)
  4. Compare version against affected range
    Examine the retrieved BMC firmware version and compare numerically to 3.38.30. Ensure you are checking the AMI BMC firmware specifically, not other firmware components
    Affected if BMC firmware version is 3.38.30 or higher (these versions are not affected per vendor advisory)
  5. Verify BMC network accessibility
    Confirm the BMC management port is reachable on the network via ping or port scan (typically ports 443, 623 for IPMI/Redfish). Check if file upload endpoints are exposed
    Affected if BMC is not network-accessible (local-only attack would require physical access, reducing exploitability)

Affected if the system is an NVIDIA DGX-1 server running AMI BMC firmware version prior to 3.38.30 with network-accessible BMC interface.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.38.30 or later
Fixed in 3.38.30
Interim mitigation

Update BMC firmware to version 3.38.30 or later. Apply during a scheduled maintenance window following NVIDIA's firmware update procedures.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

BMC firmware version 3.38.30

  1. Identify the current BMC firmware version on the NVIDIA DGX-1 server using the BMC web interface or command-line tools
  2. Navigate to NVIDIA's support portal (nvidia.custhelp.com) and locate the BMC firmware download section for DGX-1
  3. Download BMC firmware version 3.38.30 or later from NVIDIA's official support site
  4. Review NVIDIA's firmware update documentation for the specific update procedure (typically involves uploading the firmware via BMC web interface or using ipmitool/Redfish)
  5. Apply the BMC firmware update following NVIDIA's documented process, ensuring stable power during the update
  6. After the update completes, verify the BMC firmware version has been updated to 3.38.30 or later
Caveat Firmware updates may require server downtime; ensure proper shutdown procedures and backup of critical configurations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Bmc Firmware 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-2020-11486 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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