CVE-2018-9085
Missing System x Flash Memory Write Protection Lock Bit
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.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- High
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
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.
- Record
CVE-2018-9085- CVSS 3.0
- 4.9 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 4.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-276
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
Missing System x Flash Memory Write Protection Lock Bit
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.
- Record
CVE-2018-9085- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2018-20688 No score
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.
- Record
EUVD-2018-20688- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-r2wg-439c-8pcq
A write protection lock bit was left unset after boot on an older generation of Lenovo and IBM...
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.
- Record
GHSA-r2wg-439c-8pcq- CVSS 3.0
- 4.9 Medium
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-276
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
- ibm bladecenter hs23 firmware
- ibm bladecenter hs23e firmware
- ibm flex system x220 m4 firmware
- ibm flex system x222 m4 firmware
- ibm flex system x240 m4 firmware
- ibm flex system x280 x6 firmware
- ibm flex system x440 m4 firmware
- ibm flex system x480 x6 firmware
- ibm flex system x880 x6 firmware
- ibm idataplex dx360 m4 firmware
- ibm idataplex dx360 m4 water cooled firmware
- ibm system x uefi
Show 19 moreShow less
- ibm system x3100 m4 firmware
- ibm system x3100 m5 firmware
- ibm system x3250 m4 firmware
- ibm system x3250 m5 firmware
- ibm system x3300 m4 firmware
- ibm system x3500 m4 firmware
- ibm system x3530 m4 firmware
- ibm system x3550 m4 firmware
- ibm system x3630 m4 firmware
- ibm system x3650 m4 bd firmware
- ibm system x3650 m4 firmware
- ibm system x3650 m4 hd firmware
- ibm system x3750 m4 firmware
- ibm system x3850 x6 firmware
- ibm system x3950 x6 firmware
- lenovo flex system x240 m4 firmware
- lenovo flex system x440 m4 firmware
- lenovo system x uefi
- lenovo system x3750 m4 firmware
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2018-9085 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.9) in Ibm Bladecenter Hs23 Firmware, published November 16, 2018. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.66%, the 51st percentile. No source names a fixed version.