CVE-2026-20716: Improper access control for some Intel(R) Processors within Ring 3: User Applications may allow an escalation of privilege.
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 28/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.09% (FIRST EPSS).
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
- Fixed version: intel-ucode (Alpine:v3.21) 20260812-r0; intel-microcode (Debian:14) 3.20260925.1; ucode-intel (openSUSE:Leap 16.0) 20260812-160000.1.1.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to intel-ucode (Alpine:v3.21) 20260812-r0; intel-microcode (Debian:14) 3.20260925.1; ucode-intel (openSUSE:Leap 16.0) 20260812-160000.1.1 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
Improper access control for some Intel(R) Processors within Ring 3: User Applications may allow an escalation of privilege. Simple hardware adversary with an authenticated user combined with a high complexity attack may enable escalation of privilege. This result may potentially occur via local access when attack requirements are present with special internal knowledge and requires no user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (high), integrity (high) and availability (none) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (none), integrity (none) and availability (none) impacts.
- Published
- Aug 11, 2026
- Updated
- Aug 31, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.0% · 0th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-284
Report tools
Action score
28
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 28 / 40 · 7.2 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.0%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- no
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- —
- CNA · intel
- 7.2
- NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
Is your version affected? Check itNoroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| intel | xeon 634 firmware | cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_634_firmware |
| intel | xeon 634 | cpe:2.3:h:intel:xeon_634 |
| intel | xeon 636 firmware | cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_636_firmware |
| intel | xeon 636 | cpe:2.3:h:intel:xeon_636 |
| intel | xeon 638 firmware | cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_638_firmware |
| intel | xeon 638 | cpe:2.3:h:intel:xeon_638 |
| intel | xeon 654 firmware | cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_654_firmware |
| intel | xeon 654 | cpe:2.3:h:intel:xeon_654 |
| intel | xeon 656 firmware | cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_656_firmware |
| intel | xeon 656 | cpe:2.3:h:intel:xeon_656 |
| intel | xeon 658x firmware | cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_658x_firmware |
| intel | xeon 658x | cpe:2.3:h:intel:xeon_658x |
and 168 more
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- intel xeon 6315p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6325p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6333p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6337p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 634 firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6349p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6353p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6357p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 636 firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6369p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6377p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 638 firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6503p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6503p-b firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6505p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6507p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6511p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6513p-b firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6515p firmwareall versions
- intel xeon 6516p-b firmwareall versions
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (intel). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
n/a Intel(R) Processors
- See referencesaffected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine:v3.21 | intel-ucode | before 20260812-r0 | 20260812-r0 |
| Debian:12 | intel-microcode | from 0 | — |
| Debian:14 | intel-microcode | before 3.20260925.1 | 3.20260925.1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 16.0 | ucode-intel | before 20260812-160000.1.1 | 20260812-160000.1.1 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | ucode-intel | before 20260812-1.1 | 20260812-1.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | ucode-intel | before 20260812-150200.68.1 | 20260812-150200.68.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | microcode_ctl | before 1.17-102.83.98.1 | 1.17-102.83.98.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | ucode-intel | before 20260812-164.1 | 20260812-164.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0 | ucode-intel | before 20260812-1.1 | 20260812-1.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Micro 6.1 | ucode-intel | before 20260812-slfo.1.1_1.1 | 20260812-slfo.1.1_1.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Micro 6.2 | ucode-intel | before 20260812-160000.1.1 | 20260812-160000.1.1 |
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| alpine:intel-ucode | 20260812-r0 · Alpine:v3.21 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:intel-microcode | 3.20260925.1 · Debian:14 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:ucode-intel | 20260812-1.1 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:microcode_ctl | 1.17-102.83.98.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 LTSS EXTREME CORE | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:ucode-intel | 20260812-1.1 · SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
The product’s vendor appears in a public program. Matched by name; verify the scope text in the program.
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
- Availability
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- High
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- X
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-284 · Improper Access ControlCVSS vector
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:H/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X
nvd-secondary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Embedding Scripts within ScriptsCAPEC-19likelihood: High · High
- Malicious Logic InsertionCAPEC-441likelihood: Medium · High
- Modification of Windows Service ConfigurationCAPEC-478likelihood: Low · High
- Malicious Root CertificateCAPEC-479likelihood: Low · Low
- Intent SpoofCAPEC-502
- WebView ExposureCAPEC-503
- Data Injected During ConfigurationCAPEC-536likelihood: Low · High
- Incomplete Data Deletion in a Multi-Tenant EnvironmentCAPEC-546likelihood: Low · Medium
ATT&CK techniques
- RootkitT1014
- Obfuscated Files or Information: Embedded PayloadsT1027.009
- Boot or Logon Initialization ScriptsT1037
- Taint shared contentT1080
- Server Software Component: Terminal Services DLLT1505.005
- Pre-OS Boot:BootkitT1542.003
- Create or Modify System ProcessT1543
- Create or Modify System Process: Launch AgentT1543.001
- Create or Modify System Process:Windows ServiceT1543.003
- Create or Modify System Process: Launch DaemonT1543.004
- Event Triggered Execution:Change Default File AssociationT1546.001
- Event Triggered Execution:.bash_profile and .bashrcT1546.004
- Event Triggered Execution: Accessibility FeaturesT1546.008
- Event Triggered Execution: Installer PackagesT1546.016
- Boot or Logon Autostart ExecutionT1547
- Boot or Logon Autostart Execution:Kernel Modules and ExtensionsT1547.006
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.