dbcve.org
Baseboard Management ControllerOperating system · Nec

CVE-2020-5633

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-01-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.09 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Multiple NEC products (Express5800/T110j, Express5800/T110j-S, Express5800/T110j (2nd-Gen), Express5800/T110j-S (2nd-Gen), iStorage NS100Ti, and Express5800/GT110j) where Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) firmware Rev1.09 and earlier is applied allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and then obtain/modify BMC setting information, obtain monitoring information, or reboot/shut down the vulnerable product via unspecified vectors.

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

A critical authentication bypass vulnerability in the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) firmware Rev1.09 and earlier on NEC Express5800 servers and iStorage NS100Ti allows remote unauthenticated attackers to gain full BMC control, enabling them to view/modify configuration settings, access monitoring data, and perform power operations (reboot/shutdown).

MitigationUpgrade BMC firmware to a version newer than Rev1.09 (contact NEC for patched firmware). If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to the BMC interface (IPMI/Redfish) via network segmentation or firewall rules to limit exposure.

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
Baseboard Management ControllerOperating system
Affected:<= 1.09

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Identify the server model
    Check if the system is a NEC Express5800 server or iStorage NS100Ti by examining the server chassis label, BIOS boot screen, or system inventory documentation
    Affected if The system is a NEC Express5800 or iStorage NS100Ti model
  2. Check BMC firmware version
    Access the BMC web interface via IPMI/Redfish or use IPMI commands (ipmitool -I lanplus -H <BMC_IP> -U ADMIN -P ADMIN mc info) to retrieve the firmware revision. Alternatively, check via BMC web UI under 'Maintenance' or 'Firmware Information' section
    Affected if The BMC firmware version is Rev1.09 or earlier
  3. Verify BMC network accessibility
    Confirm the BMC IP address is reachable on the network by pinging the BMC IP or scanning for open ports 443 (HTTPS) or 623 (IPMI)
    Affected if The BMC is directly accessible from untrusted networks without network segmentation
  4. Check BMC interface status
    Attempt to access the BMC login page or use IPMI command (ipmitool -I lanplus -H <BMC_IP> chassis status) without valid credentials to verify if authentication is being enforced
    Affected if BMC interface responds without requiring authentication or accepts default credentials

A user is affected if they run a NEC Express5800 or NS100Ti server with BMC firmware Rev1.09 or earlier that is network-accessible.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 1.09
Interim mitigation

Upgrade BMC firmware to a version newer than Rev1.09 (contact NEC for patched firmware). If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict network access to the BMC interface (IPMI/Redfish) via network segmentation or firewall rules to limit exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

BMC firmware Rev1.10 or later (specific version varies by product model)

  1. 1. Identify the specific NEC product model (Express5800/T110j, Express5800/T110j-S, Express5800/T110j (2nd-Gen), Express5800/T110j-S (2nd-Gen), iStorage NS100Ti, or Express5800/GT110j) from the affected list.
  2. 2. Access the BMC web interface or IPMI interface of the affected server.
  3. 3. Navigate to the firmware update or BMC maintenance section.
  4. 4. Download the BMC firmware update from the official NEC support website (support.nec.co.jp) for your specific product model.
  5. 5. Apply the BMC firmware update, ensuring stable power throughout the update process.
  6. 6. After the update completes, verify the BMC firmware version has been updated beyond Rev1.09.
  7. 7. Confirm the authentication vulnerability is remediated by verifying that BMC authentication is now properly enforced.
Caveat Firmware updates may require server downtime; ensure proper backup of BMC configuration and plan maintenance window

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Baseboard Management Controller Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,690
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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-2020-5633 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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