How severe is CVE-2018-9085?

CVE-2018-9085 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2018-9085 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (47th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-9085?

CVE-2018-9085 primarily affects Lenovo Flex System X240 M4 Firmware. In total, 29 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-9085?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2018-9085 published?

CVE-2018-9085 was published on 2018-11-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-9085

CVE-2018-9085 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Lenovo Flex System X240 M4 Firmware with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.9. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-276.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.9)
CVSS v2: 4.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (47th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-276
Affected product: Lenovo Flex System X240 M4 Firmware
Published: 2018-11-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A write protection lock bit was left unset after boot on an older generation of Lenovo and IBM System x servers, potentially allowing an attacker with administrator access to modify the subset of flash memory containing Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and the system Flash Descriptors.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-9085?: A write protection lock bit was left unset after boot on an older generation of Lenovo and IBM System x servers, potentially allowing an attacker with administrator access to modify the subset of flash memory containing Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and the system Flash Descriptors.
How severe is CVE-2018-9085?: CVE-2018-9085 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2018-9085 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (47th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-9085?: CVE-2018-9085 primarily affects Lenovo Flex System X240 M4 Firmware. In total, 29 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-9085?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2018-9085 published?: CVE-2018-9085 was published on 2018-11-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/LEN-24477

Affected products (29)

cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:flex_system_x240_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:flex_system_x440_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:system_x3750_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:bladecenter_hs23_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:bladecenter_hs23e_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:flex_system_x220_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:flex_system_x222_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:flex_system_x240_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:flex_system_x280_x6_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:flex_system_x440_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:flex_system_x480_x6_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:flex_system_x880_x6_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:idataplex_dx360_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:idataplex_dx360_m4_water_cooled_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3100_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3100_m5_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3250_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3250_m5_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3300_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3500_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3530_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3550_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3630_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3650_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3650_m4_bd_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3650_m4_hd_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3750_m4_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3850_x6_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:ibm:system_x3950_x6_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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