dbcve.org
Bmc FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2020-11616

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.38.30 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
NVIDIA DGX servers, all BMC firmware versions prior to 3.38.30, contain a vulnerability in the AMI BMC firmware in which the Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) algorithm used in the JSOL package that implements the IPMI protocol is not cryptographically strong, which may lead to information disclosure.

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

The vulnerability exists in AMI BMC firmware on NVIDIA DGX servers where the JSOL package implementing the IPMI protocol uses a Pseudo-Random Number Generator that is not cryptographically strong. This weakness in the PRNG algorithm could allow attackers to predict random values and potentially disclose sensitive information transmitted via the IPMI interface.

MitigationUpgrade the BMC firmware to version 3.38.30 or later to replace the weak PRNG with a cryptographically strong random number generator.

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
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 BMC hardware vendor
    Check system hardware inventory or BMC documentation to confirm the BMC is an Intel BMC. On NVIDIA DGX systems, this may require checking the BMC subsystem specifications or using IPMI commands like 'ipmitool -I lanplus -H <BMC_IP> -U admin raw 0x06 0x01' to query BMC capabilities.
    Affected if The system uses an Intel BMC firmware - only Intel BMCs with firmware versions below 3.38.30 are affected.
  2. Retrieve BMC firmware version
    Use IPMI command 'ipmitool -I lanplus -H <BMC_IP> -U admin mc info' or access BMC web interface to view firmware version information. Alternatively, check via Redfish API endpoint /redfish/v1/Managers/1/FirmwareInventory.
    Affected if Firmware version shown is below 3.38.30 - this indicates the vulnerable PRNG may be present.
  3. Verify IPMI interface is accessible
    Confirm IPMI over LAN is enabled by running 'ipmitool -I lanplus -H <BMC_IP> -U admin channel info 1' or checking BMC network settings. The vulnerability affects IPMI protocol traffic, so active IPMI access is required for exploitation.
    Affected if IPMI interface is enabled and accessible over network - the JSOL package handles IPMI protocol and would be processing sensitive data.
  4. Confirm JSOL package usage
    Check BMC firmware components or IPMI daemon configuration for JSOL package. This may require examining BMC firmware inventory via Redfish '/redfish/v1/Managers/1/FirmwareInventory' or IPMI 'ipmitool -I lanplus -H <BMC_IP> -U admin mc get guid'.
    Affected if JSOL package is present in firmware - this is the specific component containing the weak PRNG implementation.

A system is affected if it uses an Intel BMC with firmware version below 3.38.30, has IPMI interface enabled, and contains the JSOL package implementing the IPMI protocol.

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 3.38.30 or later
Fixed in 3.38.30
Interim mitigation

Upgrade the BMC firmware to version 3.38.30 or later to replace the weak PRNG with a cryptographically strong random number generator.

Fix this in Bmc Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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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-2020-11616 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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