CVE-2020-12293
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 control of a resource through its lifetime 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 resource lifecycle control in Intel Thunderbolt controllers allows an authenticated local user to potentially cause denial of service. The vulnerability stems from insufficient management of system resources during the controller's operation, which can be exploited via local access.
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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Verify Intel Thunderbolt hardware is presentCheck system information, Device Manager (Windows), or run `lsusb | grep -i thunderbolt` (Linux) to list Thunderbolt devices. Look for Intel JHLxxx controllers.Affected if No Intel Thunderbolt controller found - system is not affected.
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Identify the exact Thunderbolt controller modelIn Windows, expand Intel Thunderbolt in Device Manager and note the controller name (e.g., JHL6240, JHL7340). On Linux, check `lsusb -v` output for the iProduct string showing the JHL model number.Affected if Controller model is not one of: Jhl6240, Jhl6340, Jhl6540, Jhl7040, Jhl7340, Jhl7440, Jhl7540, or Jhl8010r.
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Check the installed firmware versionWindows: Open Intel Thunderbolt Software or right-click the controller in Device Manager > Properties > Driver tab > Driver Version (may show firmware version). Linux: Check `/sys/bus/thunderbolt/devices/` or use `tbctl version` if available. Alternatively, check BIOS/UEFI Thunderbolt configuration screen for firmware version.Affected if Unable to determine firmware version - manual verification via system BIOS or Intel tools may be required.
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Compare firmware version against affected rangesMatch your controller model and firmware version to these thresholds: Jhl6240 < 21, Jhl6340 < 46, Jhl6540 < 46, Jhl7040 < 22, Jhl7340 < 60, Jhl7440 < 60, Jhl7540 < 60, Jhl8010r < 41.Affected if Current firmware version is below the threshold for your specific controller model.
System is affected if it contains any of the listed Intel Thunderbolt controller models (Jhl6240, Jhl6340, Jhl6540, Jhl7040, Jhl7340, Jhl7440, Jhl7540, or Jhl8010r) running firmware below the specified version threshold.
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 and restrict physical access to vulnerable systems to minimize local attack surface.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-12293 — 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-2020-12293 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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