CVE-2026-20898: Escalation of Privilege in in Alias Checking Trusted Module for some Intel(R) Xeon(R) processors may allow an escalation of privilege. Startup code and SMM 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
CVE-2026-20898 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Alias Checking Trusted Module firmware of some Intel Xeon processors. It involves improper access control that may allow escalation of privilege by a local attacker with privileged user access and high attack complexity. The vulnerability does not require user interaction or special attack conditions beyond local access and internal knowledge. It impacts confidentiality and integrity of the affected system but does not affect availability.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
This vulnerability arises from improper access control in the firmware of the Alias Checking Trusted Module on certain Intel Xeon processors. An attacker with privileged user access and the ability to execute startup code or System Management Mode (SMM) code, combined with a high complexity attack, may escalate privileges. The attack requires local access and specialized internal knowledge but no user interaction. The vulnerability can lead to high confidentiality and integrity impacts on the system.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability may allow an attacker with local privileged access to escalate their privileges, potentially compromising system confidentiality and integrity at a high level. Availability is not impacted. The attack complexity is high, and no user interaction is required. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary mitigation has been documented. Users should monitor Intel advisories for updates and apply any forthcoming patches promptly.
CVE-2026-20898: Escalation of Privilege in in Alias Checking Trusted Module for some Intel(R) Xeon(R) processors may allow an escalation of privilege. Startup code and SMM 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
Description
CVE-2026-20898 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Alias Checking Trusted Module firmware of some Intel Xeon processors. It involves improper access control that may allow escalation of privilege by a local attacker with privileged user access and high attack complexity. The vulnerability does not require user interaction or special attack conditions beyond local access and internal knowledge. It impacts confidentiality and integrity of the affected system but does not affect availability.
CVSS v4.0
Score 8.5high
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability arises from improper access control in the firmware of the Alias Checking Trusted Module on certain Intel Xeon processors. An attacker with privileged user access and the ability to execute startup code or System Management Mode (SMM) code, combined with a high complexity attack, may escalate privileges. The attack requires local access and specialized internal knowledge but no user interaction. The vulnerability can lead to high confidentiality and integrity impacts on the system.
Potential Impact
The vulnerability may allow an attacker with local privileged access to escalate their privileges, potentially compromising system confidentiality and integrity at a high level. Availability is not impacted. The attack complexity is high, and no user interaction is required. There are no known exploits in the wild at this time.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary mitigation has been documented. Users should monitor Intel advisories for updates and apply any forthcoming patches promptly.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- intel
- Date Reserved
- 2025-12-09T04:00:18.752Z
- Cvss Version
- 4.0
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- null
Threat ID: 6a7b546ebf8831d539106b38
Added to database: 08/11/2026, 16:57:18 UTC
Last enriched: 08/11/2026, 23:57:55 UTC
Last updated: 08/12/2026, 01:09:31 UTC
Views: 6
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