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C620a Series FirmwareOperating system · Intel

CVE-2021-0060

MEDIUM · 6.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
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
Insufficient compartmentalization in HECI subsystem for the Intel(R) SPS before versions SPS_E5_04.01.04.516.0, SPS_E5_04.04.04.033.0, SPS_E5_04.04.03.281.0, SPS_E5_03.01.03.116.0, SPS_E3_05.01.04.309.0, SPS_02.04.00.101.0, SPS_SoC-A_05.00.03.114.0, SPS_SoC-X_04.00.04.326.0, SPS_SoC-X_03.00.03.117.0, IGN_E5_91.00.00.167.0, SPS_PHI_03.01.03.078.0 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege 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

Insufficient compartmentalization in the Host Embedded Controller Interface (HECI) subsystem of Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) firmware allows an authenticated user with physical access to potentially escalate privileges by breaking out of the security isolation boundaries within the HECI subsystem.

MitigationUpdate Intel SPS firmware to versions SPS_E5_04.01.04.516.0, SPS_E5_04.04.04.033.0, or later as specified in the advisory. This is a firmware-level patch requiring SPS firmware update.

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
C620a Series FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< sps_e5_04.04.03.281.0
C620 Series FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< sps_e5_04.01.04.516.0
C240 Series FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< sps_e3_05.01.04.309.0
Atom P5000 Series FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< sps_soc-a_05.00.03.114.0
Atom C3000 Series FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< sps_soc-a_04.00.04.501.0
Atom C610 Series FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< sps_phi_03.01.03.078.0
Xeon D 1500 Series FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< sps_soc-x_03.00.03.117.0
Xeon D 2000 Series FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< sps_phi_03.01.03.078.0

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Intel SPS firmware presence
    Run 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or use 'biosdecode' to check if the system uses Intel Server Platform Services firmware. Look for SPS or Server Platform Services references in system firmware information.
    Affected if The system does not have Intel SPS firmware, the check is not applicable.
  2. Retrieve SPS firmware version
    Check the SPS firmware version via system firmware utilities, Intel deployment tools, or by examining the BIOS/UEFI firmware version string. The version typically appears in a format like sps_e5_04.xx.xx.xxx.x.
    Affected if Unable to retrieve SPS firmware version from the system.
  3. Identify the platform series
    Determine the Intel platform series (C620a, C620, C240, Atom P5000, Atom C3000, Atom C610, Xeon D 1500, or Xeon D 2000) from the system model or SPS firmware identifier in the version string.
    Affected if Platform series cannot be determined from the firmware version.
  4. Compare version against affected ranges
    Match the installed SPS firmware version to the specific platform series and compare numerically. Vulnerable versions are: C620a < sps_e5_04.04.03.281.0, C620 < sps_e5_04.01.04.516.0, C240 < sps_e3_05.01.04.309.0, Atom P5000 < sps_soc-a_05.00.03.114.0, Atom C3000 < sps_soc-a_04.00.04.501.0, Atom C610 < sps_phi_03.01.03.078.0, Xeon D 1500 < sps_soc-x_03.00.03.117.0, Xeon D 2000 < sps_phi_03.01.03.078.0.
    Affected if Installed SPS firmware version is lower than the fixed version for the detected platform series.

The system is affected if it runs Intel SPS firmware on a listed platform series with a version number lower than the specified fixed version for that series.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update Intel SPS firmware to versions SPS_E5_04.01.04.516.0, SPS_E5_04.04.04.033.0, or later as specified in the advisory. This is a firmware-level patch requiring SPS firmware update.

Recommended fix High confidence

Intel SPS firmware versions: SPS_E5_04.01.04.516.0 (C620), SPS_E5_04.04.03.281.0 (C620a), SPS_E3_05.01.04.309.0 (C240), SPS_SoC-A_05.00.03.114.0 (Atom P5000), SPS_SoC-A_04.00.04.501.0 (Atom C3000), SPS_PHI_03.01.03.078.0 (Atom C610/Xeon D 2000), SPS_SoC-X_03.00.03.117.0 (Xeon D 1500)

  1. Identify the Intel SPS firmware version currently installed on the affected system using Intel System Debugger, IPMI, or system management tools
  2. Determine the specific platform series (C620a, C620, C240, Atom P5000, Atom C3000, Atom C610, Xeon D 1500, or Xeon D 2000) from the system hardware
  3. Download the corresponding fixed SPS firmware version from Intel's support site: SPS_E5_04.01.04.516.0 for C620, SPS_E5_04.04.03.281.0 for C620a, SPS_E3_05.01.04.309.0 for C240, SPS_SoC-A_05.00.03.114.0 for Atom P5000, SPS_SoC-A_04.00.04.501.0 for Atom C3000, SPS_PHI_03.01.03.078.0 for Atom C610/Xeon D 2000, or SPS_SoC-X_03.00.03.117.0 for Xeon D 1500
  4. Apply the firmware update using Intel's recommended firmware update process (typically via Intel System Update Utility, BMC web interface, or BIOS update mechanism)
  5. Verify the firmware version has been successfully updated to the fixed release
Caveat Firmware updates may require system downtime and should be tested in a non-production environment first; ensure backup of current firmware and BMC configuration before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in C620a Series Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2021-0060 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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