CVE-2020-24474
📋 TL;DR
A buffer overflow vulnerability in Intel BMC firmware allows authenticated attackers with adjacent network access to potentially escalate privileges on affected server hardware. This affects Intel Server Boards, Server Systems, and Compute Modules running vulnerable BMC firmware versions. Attackers could gain higher privileges on the BMC, potentially compromising server management functions.
💻 Affected Systems
- Intel Server Boards
- Intel Server Systems
- Intel Compute Modules
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An authenticated attacker gains full administrative control over the BMC, enabling complete compromise of server management functions, potential host OS compromise, and persistent access even after host reboots.
Likely Case
Authenticated BMC users escalate privileges to administrative level, gaining control over server power management, remote console access, and firmware update capabilities.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation and authentication controls, impact is limited to authorized BMC users who might gain additional privileges within the BMC management interface.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated access to BMC interface and adjacent network positioning
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: BMC firmware version 2.48.ce3e3bd2 or later
Vendor Advisory: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00476.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download updated BMC firmware from Intel support site. 2. Access BMC web interface or use IPMI tools. 3. Upload and apply firmware update. 4. Reboot BMC and verify new version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
allIsolate BMC management network from general corporate network
Access Control
allRestrict BMC access to authorized administrators only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Segment BMC management interfaces on dedicated VLANs with strict firewall rules
- Implement multi-factor authentication and strong password policies for BMC access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check BMC firmware version via web interface or IPMI command: ipmitool mc infoCheck Version:
ipmitool mc info | grep 'Firmware Revision'Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm BMC firmware version is 2.48.ce3e3bd2 or later📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual BMC authentication patterns
- Multiple failed privilege escalation attempts
- Unexpected firmware update activities
Network Indicators:
- Unusual traffic to BMC management ports (623/UDP, 443/TCP)
- Multiple authentication requests from single source
SIEM Query:
source="BMC" AND (event_type="authentication" OR event_type="privilege") AND result="failure"