CVE-2020-12336 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2020-12336
Vulnerability Scoring

7.8
/10
Very High Risk

Highly exploitable, CVE-2020-12336 poses a critical security risk that could lead to severe breaches.

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity: Low
    Exploits can be performed without significant complexity or special conditions.
  • Attack Vector: Local
    Vulnerability requires local system access.
  • Privileges Required: Low
    Some privileges are necessary to exploit the vulnerability.
  • Scope: Unchanged
    Exploit remains within the originally vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: None
    No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2020-12336 Details

Status: Analyzed

Last updated: 🕦 21 Jul 2021, 11:39 UTC
Originally published on: 🕖 12 Nov 2020, 19:15 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 250 days

CVSS Release: version 3

CVSS3 Source

nvd@nist.gov

CVSS3 Type

Primary

CVSS3 Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVE-2020-12336 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2020-12336: Insecure default variable initialization in firmware for some Intel(R) NUCs may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2020-12336

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2020-12336 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2020-12336

CVE-2020-12336 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2020-12336, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2020-12336, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: High
    Exploiting CVE-2020-12336 can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, severely compromising data privacy.
  • Integrity: High
    CVE-2020-12336 could allow unauthorized modifications to data, potentially affecting system reliability and trust.
  • Availability: High
    CVE-2020-12336 can disrupt system operations, potentially causing complete denial of service (DoS).

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.

EPSS Score: 0.044% (probability of exploit)

EPSS Percentile: 15.33% (lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 84.67% of others.

CVE-2020-12336 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-1188

CAPEC Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification

  • Exploitation of Thunderbolt Protection Flaws CAPEC-665 An adversary leverages a firmware weakness within the Thunderbolt protocol, on a computing device to manipulate Thunderbolt controller firmware in order to exploit vulnerabilities in the implementation of authorization and verification schemes within Thunderbolt protection mechanisms. Upon gaining physical access to a target device, the adversary conducts high-level firmware manipulation of the victim Thunderbolt controller SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) flash, through the use of a SPI Programing device and an external Thunderbolt device, typically as the target device is booting up. If successful, this allows the adversary to modify memory, subvert authentication mechanisms, spoof identities and content, and extract data and memory from the target device. Currently 7 major vulnerabilities exist within Thunderbolt protocol with 9 attack vectors as noted in the Execution Flow.

Vulnerable Configurations

  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_kit_nuc8i5inh_firmware:inwhl357.0036:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_kit_nuc8i5inh_firmware:inwhl357.0036:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_kit_nuc8i5inh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_kit_nuc8i5inh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_kit_nuc8i7inh_firmware:inwhl357.0036:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_kit_nuc8i7inh_firmware:inwhl357.0036:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_kit_nuc8i7inh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_kit_nuc8i7inh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_mini_pc_nuc8i5inh_firmware:inwhl357.0036:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_mini_pc_nuc8i5inh_firmware:inwhl357.0036:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_mini_pc_nuc8i5inh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_mini_pc_nuc8i5inh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_mini_pc_nuc8i7inh_firmware:inwhl357.0036:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_mini_pc_nuc8i7inh_firmware:inwhl357.0036:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_mini_pc_nuc8i7inh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_mainstream-g_mini_pc_nuc8i7inh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_pro_board_nuc8i3pnb_firmware:pnwhl357.0037:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_pro_board_nuc8i3pnb_firmware:pnwhl357.0037:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_pro_board_nuc8i3pnb:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_pro_board_nuc8i3pnb:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_pro_kit_nuc8i3pnh_firmware:pnwhl357.0037:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_pro_kit_nuc8i3pnh_firmware:pnwhl357.0037:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_pro_kit_nuc8i3pnh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_pro_kit_nuc8i3pnh:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_pro_kit_nuc8i3pnk:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_pro_kit_nuc8i3pnk:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_pro_kit_nuc8i3pnk_firmware:pnwhl357.0037:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_pro_kit_nuc8i3pnk_firmware:pnwhl357.0037:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_pro_mini_pc_nuc8i3pnk:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_pro_mini_pc_nuc8i3pnk:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_pro_mini_pc_nuc8i3pnk_firmware:pnwhl357.0037:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_pro_mini_pc_nuc8i3pnk_firmware:pnwhl357.0037:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_rugged_kit_nuc8cchkr:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_8_rugged_kit_nuc8cchkr:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_rugged_kit_nuc8cchkr_firmware:chaplcel.0049:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_8_rugged_kit_nuc8cchkr_firmware:chaplcel.0049:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_9_pro_kit_nuc9v7qnx:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_9_pro_kit_nuc9v7qnx:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_9_pro_kit_nuc9v7qnx_firmware:qncflx70.34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_9_pro_kit_nuc9v7qnx_firmware:qncflx70.34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_9_pro_kit_nuc9vxqnx:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_9_pro_kit_nuc9vxqnx:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_9_pro_kit_nuc9vxqnx_firmware:qncflx70.34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_9_pro_kit_nuc9vxqnx_firmware:qncflx70.34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-400:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-400:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-400_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-400_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-401:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-401:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-401_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-401_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-402_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-402_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-402:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-402:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-404_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-404_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-404:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-404:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-500_firmware:tybyt20h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_h27002-500_firmware:tybyt20h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-500:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_h27002-500:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_nuc8cchb_firmware:chaplcel.0049:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_board_nuc8cchb_firmware:chaplcel.0049:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_nuc8cchb:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_board_nuc8cchb:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-401_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-401_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-401:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-401:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-402_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-402_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-402:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-402:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-403_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-403_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-403:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-403:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-404_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-404_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-404:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-404:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-405_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-405_firmware:tybyt10h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-405:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-405:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-500_firmware:tybyt20h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-500_firmware:tybyt20h.86a:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-500:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:h:intel:nuc_kit_h26998-500:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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