Graphics DriversApplication · Intel

CVE-2020-12386

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-02-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 15.36.39.5143 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Out-of-bounds write in some Intel(R) Graphics Drivers before version 15.36.39.5143 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 confidence

An out-of-bounds write vulnerability exists in Intel Graphics Drivers before version 15.36.39.5143. An authenticated local user could exploit this memory corruption issue to potentially cause a denial of service condition.

MitigationUpdate Intel Graphics Drivers to version 15.36.39.5143 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

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
Graphics DriversApplication
Affected:< 15.36.39.5143

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if Intel Graphics Driver is installed
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters', and look for Intel integrated graphics devices (e.g., Intel UHD Graphics, Intel HD Graphics, Intel Iris Xe). Alternatively, run 'dxdiag' from command prompt and check the 'Display' tab for Intel graphics entries.
    Affected if No Intel Graphics device is listed - the system uses a different GPU vendor and is not affected by this vulnerability.
  2. Identify the installed Intel Graphics Driver version
    In Device Manager, right-click the Intel graphics device, select 'Properties', go to the 'Driver' tab, and note the 'Driver Version' field. Alternatively, use 'dxdiag' and check the 'Driver Version' entry under Display devices.
    Affected if Unable to determine the driver version from Device Manager or dxdiag.
  3. Compare the installed version against the vulnerable range
    Compare the numeric driver version you found (e.g., 15.36.39.5143) against the vulnerability threshold. The vulnerable range is any version lower than 15.36.39.5143. Ensure you are comparing the full version string including all four number groups.
    Affected if The installed driver version is less than 15.36.39.5143 (e.g., 15.36.30.5120, 15.36.20.5005, etc.).
  4. Verify the driver is actively in use
    Check if the Intel Graphics Driver is the actively used graphics driver. Open Task Manager, go to the 'Performance' tab, and look at the GPU type currently in use. Or right-click the Intel adapter in Device Manager and select 'Enable device' if it is disabled.
    Affected if The Intel Graphics Driver is present but disabled or not in use - the vulnerability may not be exploitable in the current configuration.

If Intel Graphics Drivers are installed and the driver version is lower than 15.36.39.5143, the system is affected by this vulnerability.

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 15.36.39.5143 or later
Fixed in 15.36.39.5143
Interim mitigation

Update Intel Graphics Drivers to version 15.36.39.5143 or later to remediate this vulnerability.

Fix this in Graphics Drivers Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,752.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-12386 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-12386 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