dbcve.org
BiosOperating system · Intel

CVE-2020-8738

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-11-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Improper conditions check in Intel BIOS platform sample code for some Intel(R) Processors before may allow a privileged 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 confidence

This vulnerability involves an improper conditions check in Intel BIOS platform sample code for certain Intel processors. The flaw allows a privileged local user to potentially escalate their privileges, likely by bypassing intended security checks in the firmware initialization process.

MitigationApply the Intel-provided BIOS/firmware update for affected processors. Organizations should inventory Intel systems, verify firmware versions against Intel's advisory, and update BIOS to the patched version.

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
BiosOperating system
Affected:all versions
Cloud BackupApplication
Affected:all versions
Fas\/aff BiosOperating system
Affected:all versions
Hci Compute Node BiosOperating system
Affected:all versions
Hci Storage Node BiosOperating system
Affected:all versions
Solidfire BiosOperating system
Affected:all versions

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify system BIOS/UEFI version
    On Linux, run 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or check /sys/class/dmi/id/bios_version. On Windows, run 'wmic bios get SMBIOSBIOSVersion' or check System Information (msinfo32). For NetApp appliances, use the storage console or boot menu to view firmware version.
    Affected if The installed BIOS version is earlier than the fixed version specified in Intel's security advisory for CVE-2020-8738
  2. Verify processor compatibility
    Identify the Intel processor(s) in the system using 'lscpu' on Linux or CPU-Z on Windows. Cross-reference against Intel's advisory to confirm the processor model falls within the affected processor family listed for this CVE.
    Affected if The system uses an Intel processor model that is named in the affected processor range for this vulnerability
  3. Check BIOS configuration for debugging features
    Enter BIOS/UEFI setup (typically press Delete, F2, or F12 during boot). Inspect settings related to BIOS development features, debug modes, or sample code execution. Look for options that may have been left enabled from BIOS development.
    Affected if Debug or development features are enabled in the BIOS that could allow the conditions check bypass to be exploited
  4. Confirm local privileged access exists
    Review system user accounts and privileges. This vulnerability requires a privileged local user account to attempt exploitation. Check for accounts with administrative or root-level access using 'whoami /all' on Windows or 'id' on Linux.
    Affected if A local privileged user account exists on the system, which is a prerequisite for exploiting this vulnerability (the attacker needs this access to escalate further)

A system is affected if it runs an unpatched BIOS version on an affected Intel processor and has a local privileged user account present, since the vulnerability allows such a user to potentially escalate privileges through the improper conditions check in firmware initialization.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Intel-provided BIOS/firmware update for affected processors. Organizations should inventory Intel systems, verify firmware versions against Intel's advisory, and update BIOS to the patched version.

Fix this in Bios Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2020-8738 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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