HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2018-9085
MEDIUM

CVE-2018-9085

CWE-276Published: November 16, 2018· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

4.9
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A write protection lock bit was left unset after boot on an older generation of Lenovo and IBM System x servers, potentially allowing an attacker with administrator access to modify the subset of flash memory containing Intel Server Platform Services (SPS) and the system Flash Descriptors.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2018-9085 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation requires high privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in full integrity compromise (data manipulation), with a CVSS base score of 4.9.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.High
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Affected Vendors & Products

IBM50 product(s)
bladecenter hs23 firmwarebladecenterbladecenter hs23e firmwareflex system x220 m4 firmwareflex system x220flex system x222 m4 firmwareflex system x222 m4flex system x240 m4 firmwareflex system x240 m4flex system x280 x6 firmwareflex system x280 x6flex system x440 m4 firmware+38
Lenovo6 product(s)
flex system x240 m4 firmwareflex system x240 m4flex system x440 m4 firmwareflex system x440 m4system x3750 m4 firmwaresystem x3750 m4
Source: NVD CPE · 57 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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Official Patches & Advisories

All References (2)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2018-9085
CVSS Score4.9 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-276
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedNov 16, 2018

Related CVEs (CWE-276)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2018-9085 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.