CVE-2020-8341 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

This CVE involves a vulnerability in Lenovo ThinkPad systems related to the SPI Protected Range Registers (PRx) not being set after resuming from S3 sleep mode in various BIOS versions.

Understanding CVE-2020-8341

This vulnerability affects Lenovo ThinkPad systems due to a misconfiguration in the BIOS settings.

What is CVE-2020-8341?

In Lenovo ThinkPad systems, the PRx, which provides an additional layer of protection to prevent writes to SPI Flash, is not properly set after waking from S3 sleep mode in certain BIOS versions.

The Impact of CVE-2020-8341

This vulnerability does not impact the primary protection provided by SMM BIOS Write Protection but leaves systems exposed to potential unauthorized writes to SPI Flash.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-8341

This section provides more in-depth technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

After resuming from S3 sleep mode, the SPI Protected Range Registers (PRx) are not set in various BIOS versions for some Lenovo ThinkPad systems, potentially exposing the systems to unauthorized writes.

Affected Systems and Versions

Affected Systems: Lenovo ThinkPad systems
Affected Versions: Various BIOS versions

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability occurs due to a misconfiguration in the BIOS settings that fail to properly set the SPI Protected Range Registers (PRx) after waking from S3 sleep mode.

Mitigation and Prevention

It is crucial to take immediate steps to address and prevent the exploitation of this vulnerability.

Immediate Steps to Take

Ensure BIOS updates are applied promptly to implement the secondary protection, PRx.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly check for and apply BIOS updates to maintain system security.

Patching and Updates

Lenovo has released BIOS updates for systems in the affected product section to address this vulnerability.