CVE-2020-8702
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 · uneditedUncontrolled search path element in the Intel(R) Processor Diagnostic Tool before version 4.1.5.37 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege 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 · high confidenceThe Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool before version 4.1.5.37 contains an uncontrolled search path element vulnerability. This allows an authenticated local user to potentially escalate privileges by placing malicious code in a directory where the tool searches for executable resources, likely during DLL loading.
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< 4.1.5.37CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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.
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Check if Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool is installedOpen Add or Remove Programs (Windows) or check common installation directories like C:\Program Files\Intel\Intel(R) Processor Diagnostic Tool or C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel(R) Processor Diagnostic Tool for the existence of the tool's executable (typically ipdt.exe or similar)Affected if The tool is present on the system
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Determine the installed version of Intel Processor Diagnostic ToolRight-click the executable, select Properties, then go to the Details tab to view the File Version. Alternatively, run the executable with a version flag or check the Windows Programs and Features list for the installed version.Affected if The installed version is lower than 4.1.5.37
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Verify the vulnerability conditionConfirm that the tool is installed and the version is below 4.1.5.37. Since this is an uncontrolled search path vulnerability, any authenticated local user with write access to directories in the tool's PATH could potentially place malicious DLLs for DLL hijacking during tool execution.Affected if The installed version is 4.1.5.36 or lower, making the tool vulnerable to DLL hijacking via uncontrolled search paths
The system is affected if Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool is installed with a version lower than 4.1.5.37, as this version range is vulnerable to privilege escalation via DLL hijacking.
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 data4.1.5.37
Upgrade Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool to version 4.1.5.37 or later to remediate this vulnerability.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8702 — 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-2020-8702 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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