Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessGain privileged local host access (admin/root)
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DeliveryEnumerate PS3111-S11 controller over ATA
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ExploitForge CRC-16 unlock or target no-lock build
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ExecutionIssue VUC to write controller memory/raw flash
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PersistInstall persistent firmware implant
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ImpactExfiltrate or tamper with data below the OS
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A07:2025 - Authentication Failures
ASVS 5.0
V6 - Authentication Authentication required for critical functions
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Initial Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Requires the ability to send raw ATA vendor unique commands to the target Phison PS3111-S11 drive, which means privileged local host access (administrator/root) or direct physical access to the SATA interface - consistent with CVSS AV:L and PR:H. The affected component must run PS3111-S11 firmware at or below SBFQT1.3. Exploitation is trivial on builds shipped with no VUC lock; on builds that implement the unlock handshake it is still feasible because the CRC-16 challenge is non-cryptographic and can be forged. Limiting factors: not remotely or network exploitable, no path via a normal SATA data channel without privileged command issuance, and the attacker must already possess the privileged foothold before this flaw yields firmware/flash access. |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 score of 9.3 is driven by catastrophic technical impact (VC:H/VI:H/VA:H plus subsequent-system SC:H/SI:H/SA:H reflecting host compromise) combined with low attack complexity, but the vector is explicitly local (AV:L) and requires high privileges (PR:H) - this is not a remote or network-exploitable flaw, which materially lowers real-world urgency relative to the headline number. An attacker must already be able to issue raw ATA VUCs to the target drive, which in practice means administrator/root on the host or physical/interface access; this is a post-compromise persistence and firmware-implant primitive rather than an initial access vector. No CISA KEV listing and no EPSS score were provided, so there is no signal of active or probabilistically-likely exploitation; the primary elevated signal is that public tooling and a detailed writeup lower the effort to weaponize. The 'Authentication Bypass' tag is reasonable given the defeatable CRC-16 lock, though the assigned CWE-306 (missing authentication) is the more precise root cause; both descriptions are consistent. Given persistence below the OS and the ubiquity of this controller in budget SSDs, even a mid-sized municipal IT team in tczew should treat a confirmed implant as a full drive-replacement event - but this ranks below internet-facing critical CVEs for patch prioritization because exploitation presupposes existing privileged access. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker who has gained administrator/root on a workstation or server containing a PS3111-S11-based SSD uses the publicly available 'disksec'/'psychite' tooling to issue vendor unique commands over ATA, defeats the CRC-16 unlock (or targets a build with no VUC lock), and writes a malicious payload into controller firmware and raw flash. The implant persists across reboots, power cycles, and OS reinstallation, allowing covert data exfiltration or tampering below the operating system's visibility. Given AV:L/AC:L, exploitation is straightforward once the privileged local foothold exists, and working PoC code lowers the barrier substantially. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 02, 2026
Firmware-level compromise of the Phison PS3111-S11 SATA SSD controller allows an attacker with privileged local host access to read and write controller SRAM and raw NAND flash by abusing privileged vendor unique commands (VUCs) exposed over the ATA interface. Firmware builds through SBFQT1.3 either ship with no VUC lock or use a weak CRC-16 unlock handshake that can be trivially defeated, enabling a persistent firmware implant that survives power cycles and OS reinstalls. Public tooling and a technical writeup exist (VulnCheck advisory plus GitHub 'disksec' and 'psychite' projects), so publicly available exploit code exists, though there is no evidence of active exploitation.
RemediationAI
No vendor-released fixed firmware version was identified in the available data (the referenced material describes the weakness and tooling but does not cite a patched build beyond noting the flaw persists through SBFQT1.3), so treat this as: no vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis - monitor Phison and the downstream SSD vendor for a firmware update that enforces authenticated VUC access. As compensating controls: restrict administrator/root on hosts that mount affected drives, since privileged host access is the prerequisite for issuing VUCs; where the platform supports it, disable or block vendor-specific/pass-through ATA command channels and SSD vendor utilities that expose raw VUC access (trade-off: breaks legitimate firmware-update and diagnostic tooling); enforce full-disk encryption with keys held outside the drive so a flash-level implant cannot transparently read plaintext (trade-off: does not prevent a firmware implant from tampering with or withholding data, only its confidentiality benefit); physically secure and inventory drives, and treat any suspected implant as unrecoverable - retire and physically destroy the affected media rather than attempting reflash. Consult the VulnCheck advisory (https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/phison-ps3111-s11-controller-firmware-missing-authentication-on-vendor-unique-commands) and the technical writeup (https://trulycrisp.github.io/drivefirmware/phison_s11/) for detection and analysis detail.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
The PS3111-S11 is a widely used DRAM-less SATA 6Gb/s SSD controller found in many budget consumer and OEM SSDs across numerous brands. Vendor unique commands are a standard ATA/SCSI mechanism by which drive vendors expose out-of-band maintenance/debug functionality (firmware update, memory peek/poke, flash access) beyond the standardized command set. This CVE maps to CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for a Critical Function): the privileged VUC surface that grants controller-memory and raw-flash access is either entirely unauthenticated in some builds, or 'protected' only by an unlock handshake whose challenge/response is guarded by a CRC-16 check - a non-cryptographic integrity primitive that provides no real authentication and can be forged, making the lock defeatable. Because the controller firmware sits below the operating system and mediates all reads/writes to the NAND, code planted there is invisible to host-based defenses and can tamper with, exfiltrate, or withhold data.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H
Local ATA access and privileged host/interface control give AV:L/PR:H; no-lock or forgeable CRC-16 handshake keeps AC:L; a firmware implant subverts the host beyond the drive, so S:C with full C/I/A impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (vulncheck).
CVSS VectorVendor: vulncheck
DescriptionCVE.org
Phison PS3111-S11 controller firmware versions through SBFQT1.3 expose privileged vendor unique commands over the ATA interface with absent or defeatable authentication mechanisms. Attackers can bypass the weak CRC-16 based unlock handshake or exploit builds with no VUC lock to read and write controller memory and raw flash, persisting implants across power cycles.
Executive ViewAI
Phison PS3111-S11 SATA SSDs contain a firmware vulnerability allowing system-privileged local attackers to install permanent malware that survives OS reinstalls and standard security tools. The vulnerability has publicly available exploit code and no vendor patch, leaving any affected system at persistent risk of undetectable data theft or manipulation. Reliable remediation requires hardware replacement, as software-only remediation cannot remove firmware-level compromise.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: restrict local privilege escalation through RBAC and hardening, monitor storage I/O for anomalous VUC commands, air-gap systems processing highly sensitive data, implement full-disk encryption to reduce data compromise impact, and deploy secure boot with verified firmware signatures on all replacement hardware.
Threat Intelligence Overview
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.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Authentication bypass attacks exploit flaws in the verification mechanisms that control access to systems and applications.
EUVD-2026-69787
GHSA-p44m-vhp2-rrrf
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB