CVE-2020-8332
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 · uneditedA potential vulnerability in the SMI callback function used in the legacy BIOS mode USB drivers in some legacy Lenovo and IBM System x servers may allow arbitrary code execution. Servers operating in UEFI mode are not affected.
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 confidenceA vulnerability exists in the SMI (System Management Interrupt) callback function within legacy BIOS mode USB drivers on certain Lenovo and IBM System x servers. This flaw in the firmware could allow an attacker with local or physical access to execute arbitrary code via the SMI handler. Servers running in UEFI mode are not affected.
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< tke170b< ahe172b< cge128a< kse170b< b2e172b< cne172b< fhe132b< yae166bCVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify server modelUse 'dmidecode -s system-product-name' or 'lshw -C system' to confirm the exact Lenovo server modelAffected if Model is NOT one of: Bladecenter Hs23, Bladecenter Hs23e, Compute Node X440, Flex System X220, Flex System X240, Flex System X440, Nextscale Nx360 M4, System X3300 M4
-
Check boot modeAccess BIOS/UEFI setup during boot or use 'efibootmgr -v' to see if boot mode is UEFI. If 'efibootmgr' shows EFI variables, system is in UEFI modeAffected if System is running in legacy BIOS mode (not UEFI) - UEFI mode is not affected
-
Check firmware versionRun 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or check via IPMI/BMC web interface, or use Lenovo Update Manager to view current firmware versionAffected if Firmware version is lower than the threshold: tke170b (Hs23), ahe172b (Hs23e), cge128a (X440), kse170b (X220), b2e172b (X240), cne172b (X440), fhe132b (Nx360 M4), yae166b (X3300 M4)
System is affected if it is one of the listed models, runs in legacy BIOS mode, AND has a firmware version below the specified threshold for that model.
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 dataMigrate affected servers from legacy BIOS mode to UEFI mode, as UEFI mode is not vulnerable. If legacy BIOS mode is required, apply vendor-supplied firmware updates from Lenovo or IBM if available, and ensure physical access controls are enforced.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8332 — 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-2020-8332 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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