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CVE Record

CVE-2020-8755: Race condition in subsystem for Intel(R) CSME versions before 12.0.70 and 14.0.45, Intel(R) SPS versions be...

Race condition in subsystem for Intel(R) CSME versions before 12.0.70 and 14.0.45, Intel(R) SPS versions before E5_04.01.04.400 and E3_05.01.04.200 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via physical access.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-8755 is a firmware-level race condition affecting certain Intel CSME and Intel SPS versions. An unauthenticated person with physical access could potentially gain higher privileges. This is not described as remotely exploitable, but it matters for laptops, servers, and appliances where firmware trust is part of the security boundary.

Executive priority

Treat this as a firmware hygiene and physical-security issue, not an emergency remote-exploitation event based on provided evidence. Prioritize high-value servers, shared workstations, and appliances where physical access is plausible or where firmware compromise would have outsized business impact.

Technical view

The CVE describes a race condition in a subsystem of Intel CSME before 12.0.70 and 14.0.45, and Intel SPS before E5_04.01.04.400 and E3_05.01.04.200. The stated impact is potential escalation of privilege by an unauthenticated user requiring physical access. No CVSS, CWE, or exploit details are provided in the bundle.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in systems or appliances using the affected Intel CSME or SPS firmware branches. Validate through firmware inventory, OEM platform advisories, Intel SA-00391, and the referenced NetApp advisories where NetApp products are present.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not indicate active exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false. The reported attack condition requires physical access, which reduces broad internet-scale risk but remains relevant for shared facilities, unmanaged endpoints, supply-chain handling, and data-center hardware access.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to the CVE description and vendor references. The bundle does not provide CVSS, CWE, detailed root cause, exploit maturity, or product-by-product impact beyond Intel CSME, Intel SPS, and referenced NetApp advisories. Avoid claiming exploitability beyond physical-access escalation of privilege.

Mitigation direction

  • Update Intel CSME to 12.0.70, 14.0.45, or later where applicable.
  • Update Intel SPS to E5_04.01.04.400, E3_05.01.04.200, or later where applicable.
  • Use OEM firmware packages, not generic assumptions, for platform-specific updates.
  • Review NetApp advisories if affected NetApp systems are in scope.
  • Strengthen physical access controls for exposed endpoints, servers, and appliances.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Intel CSME and SPS firmware versions across managed hardware.
  • Compare discovered versions against the affected version thresholds in Intel SA-00391.
  • Check OEM and NetApp advisories for product-specific applicability.
  • Confirm firmware updates completed successfully after maintenance windows.
  • Document systems that cannot be updated and their physical-access compensating controls.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2020-8755 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/aIntel(R) CSME, Intel(R) SPSIntel(R) CSME versions before 12.0.70 and 14.0.45, Intel(R) SPS versions before E5_04.01.04.400 and E3_05.01.04.200Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.