CVE-2020-8712
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in a verification process for some Intel(R) Server Boards, Server Systems and Compute Modules before version 2.45 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 confidenceA buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the verification process of Intel Server Boards, Server Systems, and Compute Modules prior to version 2.45. An authenticated local user can exploit this buffer overflow to escalate privileges to a higher permission level on the affected system.
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< 2.45< 2.45< 2.45< 2.45< 2.45< 2.45< 2.45< 2.45CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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.
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Identify the Intel server hardware modelLocate the product label on the physical server chassis or check the system inventory. Look for one of these product names: Server Board S2600wt, Server System R1000wt, Server System R2000wt, Server Board S2600cw, Compute Module Hns2600kp, Server Board S2600kp, Compute Module Hns2600tp, or Compute Module S2600tp.Affected if The installed hardware does not match any of the listed affected product names.
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Access the firmware versionEnter the server BIOS/UEFI setup during boot (typically press F2 or Delete), navigate to the BMC or Firmware Information section, or use IPMI command: ipmitool -I lanplus -U ADMIN -P ADMIN fru print (replace credentials with actual BMC login).Affected if Unable to retrieve firmware version from the system.
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Verify the firmware version is below 2.45Locate the firmware version string displayed in the BIOS/UEFI or IPMI output. Compare the numeric version to 2.45.Affected if The displayed firmware version is less than 2.45 (for example, 2.44, 2.30, 1.50, etc.).
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Confirm the verification feature is presentThis vulnerability exists in the firmware verification process. The buffer overflow occurs during verification of certain firmware components. This is a built-in firmware feature and cannot be toggled externally.Affected if The system runs the affected firmware version; the vulnerability is present in the firmware code itself regardless of configuration.
You are affected if your Intel server hardware matches one of the listed product names AND your current firmware version is below 2.45.
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 data2.45
Update Intel server firmware to version 2.45 or later to patch the buffer overflow vulnerability in the verification process.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8712 — 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-2020-8712 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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- 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
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