CVE-2026-20713

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Incorrect Control Flow in Intel Xeon Firmware Allows Privilege Escalation

Publication date: 2026-08-11

Last updated on: 2026-08-12

Assigner: Intel Corporation

Description

Always-incorrect control flow implementation in some firmware for some Intel(R) Xeon(R) processors may allow an escalation of privilege. System software adversary with a privileged user combined with a high complexity attack may enable escalation of privilege. This result may potentially occur via local access when attack requirements are not present without special internal knowledge and requires no user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (none), integrity (none) and availability (none) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (high), integrity (high) and availability (none) impacts.

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-11

Last Modified

2026-08-12

Generated

2026-09-01

AI Q&A

2026-08-11

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-30

NVD

CVE-2026-20713

EUVD

EUVD-2026-56474

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
intel	xeon	*

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-670	The code contains a control flow path that does not reflect the algorithm that the path is intended to implement, leading to incorrect behavior any time this path is navigated.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability involves an always-incorrect control flow implementation in firmware for some Intel Xeon processors. It may allow an attacker with privileged access to escalate privileges through a complex local attack requiring no user interaction. The flaw does not directly impact system confidentiality, integrity, or availability but could lead to high impacts in these areas if exploited.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability involves firmware-level issues in Intel Xeon processors, which cannot be detected via standard network or system commands. Detection requires checking processor firmware versions against Intel's advisories or using Intel's provided detection tools.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker with privileged access to gain higher privileges on the system. This may lead to unauthorized control over the system, potential data breaches, or disruption of services, depending on the attacker's goals and system configuration.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability may lead to high impacts on system confidentiality and integrity, which could potentially violate compliance requirements under standards like GDPR and HIPAA that mandate protection of sensitive data. Unauthorized privilege escalation could result in unauthorized access to personal or health information, triggering non-compliance penalties.

Mitigation Strategies

Apply firmware updates from Intel as soon as they are available. Monitor Intel's security advisories for this CVE and follow their recommended mitigation steps, which may include disabling specific features or updating BIOS/UEFI.

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