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Intel Xeon Processors CVE-2026-20901

| EUVDEUVD-2026-56788 MEDIUM
Improper Input Validation (CWE-20)
2026-08-11 secure@intel.com GHSA-j38j-4xcw-8784
Privilege Escalation Intel Suse Xeon Gold 6403N Firmware Xeon Gold 6423N Firmware Xeon Gold 6433N Firmware Xeon Gold 6433Ne Firmware Xeon Gold 6443N Firmware Xeon Platinum 8444H Firmware Xeon Platinum 8450H Firmware Xeon Platinum 8452Y Firmware Xeon Platinum 8454H Firmware Xeon Platinum 8458P Firmware Xeon Platinum 8460H Firmware Xeon Platinum 8460Y Firmware Xeon Platinum 8461V Firmware Xeon Platinum 8462Y Firmware Xeon Platinum 8468 Firmware Xeon Platinum 8468H Firmware Xeon Platinum 8468V Firmware Xeon Platinum 8470 Firmware Xeon Platinum 8470N Firmware Xeon Platinum 8470Q Firmware Xeon Platinum 8471N Firmware Xeon Platinum 8480 Firmware Xeon Platinum 8490H Firmware Xeon Gold 5411N Firmware Xeon Gold 5412U Firmware Xeon Gold 5415 Firmware Xeon Gold 5416S Firmware Xeon Gold 5418N Firmware Xeon Gold 5418Y Firmware Xeon Gold 5420 Firmware Xeon Gold 5423N Firmware Xeon Gold 5433N Firmware Xeon Gold 6414U Firmware Xeon Gold 6416H Firmware Xeon Gold 6418H Firmware Xeon Gold 6421N Firmware Xeon Gold 6426Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6428N Firmware Xeon Gold 6430 Firmware Xeon Gold 6434 Firmware Xeon Gold 6434H Firmware Xeon Gold 6438M Firmware Xeon Gold 6438N Firmware Xeon Gold 6438Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6442Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6444Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6448H Firmware Xeon Gold 6448Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6454S Firmware Xeon Gold 6458Q Firmware Xeon Silver 4410T Firmware Xeon Silver 4410Y Firmware Xeon Silver 4416 Firmware Xeon Bronze 3408U Firmware Xeon Gold 5403N Firmware Xeon Platinum 8592 Firmware Xeon Platinum 8592V Firmware Xeon Platinum 8593Q Firmware Xeon Silver 4509Y Firmware Xeon Silver 4510 Firmware Xeon Silver 4510T Firmware Xeon Silver 4514Y Firmware Xeon Silver 4516Y Firmware Xeon Bronze 3508U Firmware Xeon Gold 5512U Firmware Xeon Gold 5515 Firmware Xeon Gold 5520 Firmware Xeon Gold 6526Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6530 Firmware Xeon Gold 6534 Firmware Xeon Gold 6538N Firmware Xeon Gold 6538Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6542Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6544Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6548N Firmware Xeon Gold 6548Y Firmware Xeon Gold 6554S Firmware Xeon Gold 6558Q Firmware Xeon Platinum 8558 Firmware Xeon Platinum 8558P Firmware Xeon Platinum 8558U Firmware Xeon Platinum 8562Y Firmware Xeon Platinum 8568Y Firmware Xeon Platinum 8570 Firmware Xeon Platinum 8571N Firmware Xeon Platinum 8580 Firmware Xeon Platinum 8581V Firmware Xeon Bronze 3408U Xeon Gold 5411N Xeon Gold 5412U Xeon Gold 5415 Xeon Gold 5416S Xeon Gold 5418N Xeon Gold 5418Y Xeon Gold 5420 Xeon Gold 6414U Xeon Gold 6416H Xeon Gold 6418H Xeon Gold 6421N Xeon Gold 6426Y Xeon Gold 6428N Xeon Gold 6430 Xeon Gold 6434 Xeon Gold 6434H Xeon Gold 6438M Xeon Gold 6438N Xeon Gold 6438Y Xeon Gold 6442Y Xeon Gold 6444Y Xeon Gold 6448H Xeon Gold 6448Y Xeon Gold 6454S Xeon Gold 6458Q Xeon Platinum 8444H Xeon Platinum 8450H Xeon Platinum 8452Y Xeon Platinum 8454H Xeon Platinum 8458P Xeon Platinum 8460H Xeon Platinum 8460Y Xeon Platinum 8461V Xeon Platinum 8462Y Xeon Platinum 8468 Xeon Platinum 8468H Xeon Platinum 8468V Xeon Platinum 8470 Xeon Platinum 8470N Xeon Platinum 8470Q Xeon Platinum 8471N Xeon Platinum 8480 Xeon Platinum 8490H Xeon Silver 4410T Xeon Silver 4410Y Xeon Silver 4416
4.0
CVSS 4.0 · Vendor: intel
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain high-privilege local system access
  2. Delivery
    Identify vulnerable Xeon firmware startup or SMM path
  3. Exploit
    Craft malformed input targeting validation gap
  4. Execution
    Trigger startup code or SMM invocation with malicious input
  5. Persist
    Overwrite subsequent system firmware or configuration data
  6. Impact
    Establish persistent integrity modification

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-20
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Input validation, allowlisting
Exploitation Conditions

Exploitation requires simultaneous satisfaction of all four constraints from the CVSS 4.0 vector. First, local system access (AV:L) - network-based exploitation is architecturally impossible; the attacker must have physical or authenticated local session access to the target system. Second, a privileged user context (PR:H) - the attacker must already hold OS-level administrative or firmware access (e.g., root, SYSTEM, or firmware management privileges) before the vulnerability can be triggered. Third, high attack complexity (AC:H) - the attacker must engineer precise conditions, likely involving knowledge of processor startup sequencing or SMM invocation timing, beyond simply sending a payload. Fourth, attack prerequisites present (AT:P in CVSS 4.0) - specific platform or operational conditions, such as access to startup code paths or the SMM execution environment, must exist on the target. The description explicitly notes no special internal knowledge is required and no user interaction is needed. Exploitation is structurally bounded by the PR:H + AC:H + AT:P combination - a low-privilege attacker or an attacker operating remotely cannot trigger this vulnerability. The impact is further constrained to subsequent system integrity (SI:H) only, with no confidentiality or availability effect on either the vulnerable or subsequent system.
Impact

The CVSS 4.0 base score of 4.0 (Medium) accurately reflects a heavily constrained attack profile. Local access requirement (AV:L) eliminates remote exploitation; high attack complexity (AC:H) demands precise timing or knowledge of processor state during SMM invocation; attack prerequisites present (AT:P) mean specific platform conditions must exist; and high privileges (PR:H) require the attacker to already possess firmware- or OS-level administrative access - a significant barrier. The sole meaningful impact is downstream system integrity (SI:H), with VC:N/VI:N/VA:N confirming no direct effect on the vulnerable system itself. No EPSS score was provided in the source intelligence, leaving exploitation probability unquantified. The absence of both a CISA KEV listing and any public POC means exploitation is currently theoretical. Critically, an attacker capable of meeting PR:H and AC:H preconditions already possesses substantial access, limiting the incremental attacker value of this flaw. Risk is most relevant to high-value server environments targeted by nation-state actors or advanced persistent threats focused on firmware persistence.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

A threat actor who has already achieved high-privilege local access to an Intel Xeon-based server - through a compromised administrator account, a supply-chain firmware implant, or an existing OS-level rootkit - crafts a malformed input targeting the processor's startup code or SMM dispatch path. During a system boot or triggered SMM invocation, the unvalidated input passes through the vulnerable firmware routine, allowing the attacker to overwrite firmware configuration data or SMM variables, establishing a persistent integrity modification that survives OS reinstallation. No public POC exists, making this scenario most consistent with well-resourced actors conducting targeted firmware implant campaigns rather than widespread opportunistic exploitation.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026

Firmware improper input validation in Intel Xeon processors enables a highly privileged local adversary operating within System Management Mode (SMM) or startup code context to alter the integrity of subsequent system components. The CVSS 4.0 vector confirms local-only access (AV:L), high complexity (AC:H), presence-required attack conditions (AT:P), and a high-privilege prerequisite (PR:H), with zero confidentiality or availability impact - only downstream integrity degradation (SI:H). No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis and the vulnerability is not listed in CISA KEV, placing real-world exploitation risk firmly in the advanced persistent threat category rather than opportunistic attack.

RemediationAI

The primary remediation is to apply the firmware update specified in Intel Security Advisory INTEL-SA-01442 at https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01442.html; the exact patched firmware version is not independently confirmed from available data and must be obtained directly from the advisory or from the system OEM (Dell, HPE, Lenovo, Supermicro, etc.), as OEMs package Intel microcode updates into platform-specific BIOS/UEFI releases. Firmware updates require a system reboot and should be scheduled during a maintenance window with prior validation in a non-production environment. For organizations unable to patch immediately, compensating controls include enabling Intel Secure Boot and Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) to harden SMM boundaries, restricting physical and privileged remote access (e.g., iDRAC, iLO, IPMI) to affected servers, and deploying platform attestation via TPM-based measured boot to detect unauthorized firmware modifications. Note that these controls reduce attack surface but do not eliminate the underlying vulnerability; firmware patching remains the definitive fix.

Affected VersionsENISA

Intel(R) Xeon(R) Processors See references

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Technical ContextAI · show details

The vulnerability resides in Intel Xeon processor firmware, specifically within startup code and System Management Mode (SMM) - the highest-privilege execution ring in the x86 architecture, isolated from the OS and hypervisor in protected SMRAM. CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) at this firmware layer means the processor's initialization or SMM dispatch routines fail to adequately validate externally supplied inputs, allowing a sufficiently privileged adversary to manipulate data processed during these sensitive phases. SMM is architecturally significant because code executing there is invisible to operating systems, hypervisors, and security software, making firmware-level integrity violations especially difficult to detect or remediate post-exploitation. The affected CPE scope is described by Intel and EUVD as 'Intel(R) Xeon(R) Processors - See references,' without enumerating specific families or steppings, requiring direct consultation of Intel SA-01442 to identify impacted SKUs.

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Severity by source

Vendor (intel) PRIMARY 4.0 MEDIUM
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:H/SA:N
vuln.today AI 5.3 MEDIUM

Local-only access and high privileges required; scope changed because integrity impact falls on subsequent system components (SMM or firmware state), not the vulnerable system itself.

3.1 AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N
4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:H/SA:N
SUSE MEDIUM

Primary rating from Vendor (intel).

CVSS VectorVendor: intel

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Attack Requirements
Present
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Vulnerable system: Confidentiality
None
Vulnerable system: Integrity
None
Vulnerable system: Availability
None
Subsequent system: Confidentiality
None
Subsequent system: Integrity
High
Subsequent system: Availability
None

DescriptionCVE.org

Improper input validation for some Intel(R) Xeon(R) processors within firmware may allow an escalation of privilege. Startup code and smm adversary with a privileged user combined with a high complexity attack may enable data alteration. This result may potentially occur via local access when attack requirements are present without special internal knowledge and requires no user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (none), integrity (none) and availability (none) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (none), integrity (high) and availability (none) impacts.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.1%
Top 99% exploitable
Prevalence
High
Intel Xeon CPUs power most enterprise servers and cloud data center infrastructure globally.
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium
EUVD 🇯🇵JVN NVD CVE.org EPSS Vulnrichment Vendor VulDB

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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.1%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
High
Technical Impact
Total

Priority Score

20
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +20
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege Escalation HIGH

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

Same weakness CWE-20 – Improper Input Validation

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Same technique Privilege Escalation

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Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: Moderate
Product Status
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-ESPOS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP4-LTSS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-ESPOS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP5-LTSS Affected
SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 Affected

References

Advisories & patches
ADVISORY https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-20901 ADVISORY https://vuldb.com/vuln/388355 REF https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01442.html

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