CVE-2020-12292
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 conditions check in some Intel(R) Thunderbolt(TM) controllers may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable 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 confidenceImproper conditions check vulnerability in Intel Thunderbolt controllers allows an authenticated local user to cause denial of service. The flaw involves inadequate validation of certain conditions in the Thunderbolt controller logic, which can be exploited via local physical access to trigger a DoS condition.
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< 21< 46< 46< 22< 60< 60< 60< 41CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 Thunderbolt controller hardwareCheck system BIOS/UEFI or use Intel Thunderbolt software (e.g., Intel Thunderbolt Control Center, lspci on Linux, or device manager on Windows) to list installed Thunderbolt controllers. Look for controller model numbers Jhl6240, Jhl6340, Jhl6540, Jhl7040, Jhl7340, Jhl7440, Jhl7540, or Jhl8010r.Affected if System contains any of the affected Intel Jhl Thunderbolt controller models listed in the CVE.
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Check Thunderbolt firmware versionUse Intel Thunderbolt firmware update utility, BIOS information page, or OS-level tools (thunderbolt-tool on Linux, Intel Thunderbolt Control Center on Windows) to read the current firmware version of the installed Thunderbolt controller.Affected if Firmware version is below the threshold for your controller: Jhl6240 < 21, Jhl6340 < 46, Jhl6540 < 46, Jhl7040 < 22, Jhl7340 < 60, Jhl7440 < 60, Jhl7540 < 60, Jhl8010r < 41.
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Verify Thunderbolt is enabledCheck BIOS/UEFI settings for Thunderbolt configuration options (often under 'Security' or 'Ports' settings). On Windows, check Device Manager to ensure Thunderbolt devices are active. On Linux, run 'lsusb' or check /sys/bus/thunderbolt/devices/ for active Thunderbolt devices.Affected if Thunderbolt interface is enabled and accessible, allowing physical access to the Thunderbolt port.
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Assess physical access exposureEvaluate whether untrusted physical access to Thunderbolt ports is possible (shared workspaces, public locations, multi-user systems). This is a local exploitation requiring physical proximity to the affected port.Affected if Systems with accessible Thunderbolt ports where local authenticated users or those with physical access could exploit the flaw.
A system is affected if it contains any of the listed Intel Jhl Thunderbolt controllers with firmware versions below the specified thresholds and has Thunderbolt enabled, particularly in environments where physical access to Thunderbolt ports cannot be controlled.
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 data212241
Apply Intel-provided firmware updates for affected Thunderbolt controllers. If updates unavailable, consider disabling Thunderbolt in BIOS/UEFI settings or limiting physical access to systems with Thunderbolt ports.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-12292 — 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-2020-12292 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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- 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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