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Converged Security And Manageability EngineApplication · Intel

CVE-2020-8705

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-11-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.8.80 / 11.12.80 or later.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Insecure default initialization of resource in Intel(R) Boot Guard in Intel(R) CSME versions before 11.8.80, 11.12.80, 11.22.80, 12.0.70, 13.0.40, 13.30.10, 14.0.45 and 14.5.25, Intel(R) TXE versions before 3.1.80 and 4.0.30, Intel(R) SPS versions before E5_04.01.04.400, E3_04.01.04.200, SoC-X_04.00.04.200 and SoC-A_04.00.04.300 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privileges via physical 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 confidence

This vulnerability involves insecure default initialization of resources in Intel Boot Guard, a firmware component that verifies the authenticity of the boot process. Affected components include Intel CSME, TXE, and SPS firmware. An unauthenticated attacker with physical access can exploit this to escalate privileges by potentially bypassing boot chain verification.

MitigationApply vendor-supplied firmware updates from Intel to the specific patched versions listed for CSME, TXE, and SPS. This requires updating the system BIOS/UEFI firmware on affected systems.

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
Converged Security And Manageability EngineApplication
Affected:< 11.8.80>= 11.12.0, < 11.12.80>= 11.22.0, < 11.22.80>= 12.0, < 12.0.70>= 13.0, < 13.0.40>= 13.30.0, < 13.30.10>= 14.0, < 14.0.45
Trusted Execution TechnologyApplication
Affected:= 3.1.80= 4.0.30
Server Platform ServicesApplication
Affected:= sps_e3_04.01.04.200= sps_e5_04.01.04.400= sps_soc-a_04.00.04.300= sps_soc-x_04.00.04.200

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
Physical
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/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 Intel Boot Guard availability
    Verify the system uses Intel processors with Boot Guard enabled. This is typically visible in BIOS/UEFI settings under 'Boot' or 'Security' options, or check system documentation for Intel Boot Guard support.
    Affected if System does not have Intel Boot Guard implemented or enabled - only systems with Intel Boot Guard are affected by this vulnerability.
  2. Determine Intel CSME firmware version
    Access the Intel Management Engine interface via BIOS setup (often under 'Advanced' > 'Intel(R) Management Engine Configuration') or use the Intel MEInfo command-line tool if available on the system. Record the CSME firmware version number.
    Affected if CSME version falls within any of these ranges: < 11.8.80, >= 11.12.0 and < 11.12.80, >= 11.22.0 and < 11.22.80, >= 12.0 and < 12.0.70, >= 13.0 and < 13.0.40, >= 13.30.0 and < 13.30.10, or >= 14.0 and < 14.0.45.
  3. Determine Intel TXE firmware version
    Check the Trusted Execution Technology firmware version through BIOS settings or Intel TXEInfo tool if present on the system. Note the exact version string.
    Affected if TXE version equals exactly 3.1.80 or 4.0.30.
  4. Determine Intel SPS firmware version
    Locate the Server Platform Services firmware version via BIOS information page, IPMI interface, or SPSInfo utility. Record the full version identifier.
    Affected if SPS version matches exactly: sps_e3_04.01.04.200, sps_e5_04.01.04.400, sps_soc-a_04.00.04.300, or sps_soc-x_04.00.04.200.
  5. Assess physical access exposure
    Evaluate whether the system could be accessed by unauthorized individuals. This vulnerability requires physical presence to exploit.
    Affected if System is physically accessible to unauthenticated attackers - the vulnerability is exploitable only with physical access.

System is affected if it runs any Intel CSME, TXE, or SPS firmware version matching the specified vulnerable ranges AND is physically accessible to potential attackers.

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 11.8.80 / 11.12.80 / 11.22.80 or later
Fixed in 11.8.8011.12.8011.22.80
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-supplied firmware updates from Intel to the specific patched versions listed for CSME, TXE, and SPS. This requires updating the system BIOS/UEFI firmware on affected systems.

Fix this in Converged Security And Manageability Engine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
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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-2020-8705 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