How severe is CVE-2020-8705?

CVE-2020-8705 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-8705 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (40th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-8705?

CVE-2020-8705 primarily affects Intel Converged Security And Manageability Engine. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-8705?

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

When was CVE-2020-8705 published?

CVE-2020-8705 was published on 2020-11-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-8705

CVE-2020-8705 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Intel Converged Security And Manageability Engine with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8. 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-1188.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.8)
CVSS v2: 4.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (40th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-1188
Affected product: Intel Converged Security And Manageability Engine
Published: 2020-11-12
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Insecure default initialization of resource in Intel(R) Boot Guard in Intel(R) CSME versions before 11.8.80, 11.12.80, 11.22.80, 12.0.70, 13.0.40, 13.30.10, 14.0.45 and 14.5.25, Intel(R) TXE versions before 3.1.80 and 4.0.30, Intel(R) SPS versions before E5_04.01.04.400, E3_04.01.04.200, SoC-X_04.00.04.200 and SoC-A_04.00.04.300 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privileges via physical access.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-8705?: Insecure default initialization of resource in Intel(R) Boot Guard in Intel(R) CSME versions before 11.8.80, 11.12.80, 11.22.80, 12.0.70, 13.0.40, 13.30.10, 14.0.45 and 14.5.25, Intel(R) TXE versions before 3.1.80 and 4.0.30, Intel(R) SPS versions before E5_04.01.04.400, E3_04.01.04.200, SoC-X_04.00.04.200 and SoC-A_04.00.04.300 may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privileges via physical access.
How severe is CVE-2020-8705?: CVE-2020-8705 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-8705 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (40th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-8705?: CVE-2020-8705 primarily affects Intel Converged Security And Manageability Engine. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-8705?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-8705 published?: CVE-2020-8705 was published on 2020-11-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:intel:converged_security_and_manageability_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:intel:trusted_execution_technology:3.1.80:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:intel:trusted_execution_technology:4.0.30:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:intel:server_platform_services:sps_e3_04.01.04.200:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:intel:server_platform_services:sps_e5_04.01.04.400:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:intel:server_platform_services:sps_soc-a_04.00.04.300:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:intel:server_platform_services:sps_soc-x_04.00.04.200:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Intel Converged Security And Manageability Engine

CVE-2020-12303 — High (CVSS 7.8): Use after free in DAL subsystem for Intel(R) CSME versions before 11.8.80, 11.12.80, 11.22.80, 12.0.70, 13.0.40,…
CVE-2020-12297 — High (CVSS 7.8): Improper access control in Installer for Intel(R) CSME Driver for Windows versions before 11.8.80, 11.12.80, 11.22.80,…
CVE-2020-24516 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): Modification of assumed-immutable data in subsystem in Intel(R) CSME versions before 13.0.47, 13.30.17, 14.1.53,…
CVE-2020-8745 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): Insufficient control flow management in subsystem for Intel(R) CSME versions before 11.8.80, 11.12.80, 11.22.80,…
CVE-2020-8703 — Medium (CVSS 6.7): Improper buffer restrictions in a subsystem in the Intel(R) CSME versions before 11.8.86, 11.12.86, 11.22.86, 12.0.81,…
CVE-2020-8756 — Medium (CVSS 6.7): Improper input validation in subsystem for Intel(R) CSME versions before 11.8.80, 11.12.80, 11.22.80, 12.0.70 and…

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