CVE-2020-11486
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in NVIDIA DGX servers allows attackers to upload malicious files to the BMC firmware, which can be automatically processed leading to remote code execution. It affects all DGX-1 servers with BMC firmware versions prior to 3.38.30. Attackers could potentially gain full control of the server's baseboard management controller.
💻 Affected Systems
- NVIDIA DGX-1
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete compromise of the BMC allowing persistent remote access, firmware modification, and potential lateral movement to other systems in the environment.
Likely Case
Remote code execution on the BMC leading to server management compromise, data exfiltration, or denial of service.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if network segmentation isolates BMC interfaces and strict access controls are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
The vulnerability description indicates file upload leading to automatic processing, suggesting straightforward exploitation once the attack vector is identified.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: BMC firmware version 3.38.30 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5010
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download BMC firmware version 3.38.30 or later from NVIDIA support portal. 2. Follow NVIDIA's BMC firmware update procedure for DGX-1 servers. 3. Reboot the BMC after firmware update completes.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network segmentation
allIsolate BMC management interfaces from untrusted networks and restrict access to authorized IPs only.
Access control hardening
allImplement strong authentication and limit administrative access to BMC interfaces.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Segment BMC management network completely from production and user networks
- Implement strict firewall rules allowing only necessary IP addresses to access BMC interfaces
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check BMC firmware version via IPMI or web interface. If version is below 3.38.30, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
ipmitool mc info | grep 'Firmware Revision' or check via BMC web interfaceVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm BMC firmware version is 3.38.30 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual file uploads to BMC interface
- Unexpected BMC firmware modification attempts
- Authentication failures followed by successful access
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to BMC IP addresses on port 443/80
- File upload requests to BMC web interface
SIEM Query:
source="BMC_logs" AND (event="file_upload" OR event="firmware_update")