CVE-2020-8731
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 · uneditedIncorrect execution-assigned permissions in the file system for some Intel(R) Server Boards, Server Systems and Compute Modules before version 1.59 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 · moderate confidenceIntel server firmware before version 1.59 contains incorrect file system permissions on executables, allowing an authenticated local user to modify or replace privileged binaries and escalate to higher system privileges.
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< 1.59< 1.59< 1.59< 1.59< 1.59< 1.59< 1.59< 1.59CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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 platform modelCheck the system label, BIOS splash screen, or BMC web interface for the exact product name (e.g., S2600wt, R1000wt, S2600cw, Hns2600kp, S2600kp, Hns2600tp, S2600tp)Affected if The product matches any of the affected models: S2600wt, R1000wt, R2000wt, S2600cw, Hns2600kp, S2600kp, Hns2600tp, or S2600tp
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Check the current firmware versionAccess the BMC web interface (IPMI) or BIOS setup and locate the firmware/BIOS version information, or run: ipmitool -I lanplus -H <bmc_ip> -U admin -P password fru printAffected if The firmware version is below 1.59 (for example, 1.58, 1.50, etc.)
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Verify file permissions on firmware executablesThis requires accessing the firmware filesystem (via BMC debug shell or by extracting the firmware image). Inspect the permissions of privileged binaries in /sbin, /usr/sbin, or similar directories within the firmware imageAffected if Executables that should be owned by root and non-writable by regular users are found to be world-writable or owned by a lower-privilege user
The system is affected if it is one of the listed Intel server products AND the installed firmware version is below 1.59
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 data1.59
Update Intel Server Boards, Server Systems, and Compute Modules to firmware version 1.59 or later to resolve the permission misconfiguration.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8731 — 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-2020-8731 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
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