CVE-2020-12294
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 · uneditedInsufficient control flow management 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 confidenceThis vulnerability in Intel Thunderbolt controllers stems from insufficient control flow management, allowing an authenticated local user to potentially cause denial of service. The issue is hardware/firmware-based and requires local access to the system.
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 modelCheck your system device information or BIOS/UEFI to locate the Intel Thunderbolt controller. On Windows, view System Devices in Device Manager. On Linux, use lspci or check dmesg for Thunderbolt-related entries. Look for model identifiers such as Jhl6240, Jhl6340, Jhl6540, Jhl7040, Jhl7340, Jhl7440, Jhl7540, or Jhl8010r.Affected if The system contains one of the affected Thunderbolt controller models listed in the CVE (Jhl6240, Jhl6340, Jhl6540, Jhl7040, Jhl7340, Jhl7440, Jhl7540, or Jhl8010r).
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Check installed Thunderbolt firmware versionRetrieve the current firmware version of the identified Thunderbolt controller. In Windows, access the Thunderbolt software icon in the system tray or check the firmware version in Device Manager properties for the Thunderbolt controller. In Linux, use Intel Thunderbolt tools if available. The firmware version may also appear in system BIOS/UEFI under Thunderbolt or security settings.Affected if The installed firmware version is below the threshold for your controller model (Jhl6240: <21, Jhl6340: <46, Jhl6540: <46, Jhl7040: <22, Jhl7340: <60, Jhl7440: <60, Jhl7540: <60, Jhl8010r: <41).
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Verify Thunderbolt is enabledConfirm that Thunderbolt ports or the Thunderbolt controller are actively enabled in the system BIOS/UEFI settings or through the operating system. Check if devices can connect via Thunderbolt ports.Affected if Thunderbolt functionality is enabled, allowing potential local access to the vulnerable controller.
Your 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 versions below the specified thresholds, with Thunderbolt ports enabled for local access.
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; consult system OEM for BIOS/UEFI updates that include Thunderbolt firmware patches. Consider disabling Thunderbolt in BIOS if updates are unavailable.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-12294 — 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-2020-12294 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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