Skip to main content

Quartus Prime CVE-2020-24454

HIGH
Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (CWE-611)
2020-11-12 secure@intel.com
7.5
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A02:2025 - Security Misconfiguration
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration XML external entity prevention
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Initial Access, Collection

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Impact

CVSS score of 7.5 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, no user interaction not required.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker could read arbitrary files or perform SSRF through XML processing by sending crafted requests to the affected application. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 1.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAI

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in subsystem forIntel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Pro Edition before version 20.3 and Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Standard Edition before version 20.2 may. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.5), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, no authentication required, low attack complexity. This XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability could allow attackers to read arbitrary files or perform SSRF through XML processing.

RemediationAI

A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Disable external entity processing in XML parsers, use JSON instead of XML where possible.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as XML External Entity (XXE) (CWE-611), which allows attackers to read arbitrary files or perform SSRF through XML processing. Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in subsystem forIntel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Pro Edition before version 20.3 and Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Standard Edition before version 20.2 may allow unauthenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure via network access. Affected products include: Intel Quartus Prime. Version information: version 20.3.

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.5 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

DescriptionNVD

Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in subsystem forIntel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Pro Edition before version 20.3 and Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Standard Edition before version 20.2 may allow unauthenticated user to potentially enable information disclosure via network access.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.2%
Top 36% exploitable
Data Quality
2 sources
Confidence: Low

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 1.2%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
Yes
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +38
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

XML External Entity (XXE) attacks exploit XML parsers that process Document Type Definitions (DTDs) without proper restrictions.

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:intel:quartus_prime:*:*:*:*:standard:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:intel:quartus_prime:*:*:*:*:pro:*:*:*
CVE-2022-27187 HIGH
7.8 Nov 11

Uncontrolled search path element in the Intel(R) Quartus Prime Standard edition software before version 21.1 Patch 0.02s

CVE-2019-14603 HIGH
7.8 Dec 16

Improper permissions in the installer for the License Server software for Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition before versi

CVE-2019-0171 HIGH
7.8 May 17

Improper directory permissions in the installer for Intel(R) Quartus(R) software may allow an authenticated user to pote

CVE-2018-3683 HIGH
7.8 Jul 10

Unquoted service paths in Intel Quartus Prime in versions 15.1 - 18.0 allow a local attacker to potentially execute arbi

CVE-2022-27233 HIGH
7.5 Nov 11

XML injection in the Quartus(R) Prime Programmer included in the Intel(R) Quartus Prime Pro and Standard edition softwar

CVE-2024-21862 HIGH
7.3 May 16

Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Standard Edition Design software before version 23.1 may allo

CVE-2024-21837 HIGH
7.3 May 16

Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Lite Edition Design software before version 23.1 may allow an

CVE-2024-21809 HIGH
7.3 May 16

Improper conditions check for some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Lite Edition Design software before version 23.1 may allow

CVE-2024-21777 HIGH
7.3 May 16

Uncontrolled search path in some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Pro Edition Design software before version 23.4 may allow an

CVE-2023-24016 HIGH
7.3 Aug 11

Uncontrolled search path element in some Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Pro and Standard edition software for linux may allow

CVE-2020-8737 MEDIUM
6.8 Nov 12

Improper buffer restrictions in the Intel(R) Stratix(R) 10 FPGA firmware provided with the Intel(R) Quartus(R) Prime Pro

CVE-2025-14625 MEDIUM
6.7 Jan 07

Uncontrolled Search Path Element vulnerability in Altera Quartus Prime Standard on Windows (Nios II Command Shell module

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy