CVE-2026-20702 in Data Center Attestation Primitives
Summary
by MITRE • 08/11/2026
Protection mechanism failure for some Intel(R) Data Center Attestation Primitives (Intel(R) DCAP) may allow information disclosure. Unprivileged software adversary with an unauthenticated user combined with a low complexity attack may enable data exposure. This result may potentially occur via network access when attack requirements are present with special internal knowledge and requires no user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (none), integrity (high) and availability (none) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (high), integrity (none) and availability (none) impacts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical protection mechanism failure within Intel's Data Center Attestation Primitives architecture, specifically affecting the Intel Data Center Attestation Primitives (Intel DCAP) software components. The flaw exists in the attestation process that is designed to verify the integrity and authenticity of data center environments, creating a scenario where unprivileged adversaries can potentially access sensitive information through network-based attacks. The vulnerability's classification as low complexity attack with unauthenticated user access indicates that attackers do not require elevated privileges or sophisticated attack vectors to exploit this weakness, making it particularly concerning for enterprise security postures.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves weaknesses in the cryptographic verification and authentication mechanisms that Intel DCAP employs to ensure secure attestation processes. When attackers can leverage special internal knowledge combined with network access capabilities, they may be able to bypass the intended security controls that should protect confidential data within these environments. The vulnerability's impact on system integrity is assessed as high because it allows for potential tampering with the attestation process itself, which could enable adversaries to manipulate or corrupt the verification mechanisms that are critical for maintaining trust in the data center infrastructure.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-310 (Cryptographic Issues) and represents a significant concern for organizations relying on Intel DCAP for secure remote attestation services. The attack surface is particularly dangerous because it requires no user interaction while potentially enabling unauthorized access to sensitive system information. This characteristic places the vulnerability in the ATT&CK framework category of privilege escalation and credential access techniques, as adversaries can exploit the weakness to gain insights into system configurations and potentially escalate their access privileges.
The confidentiality impact rating of high indicates that this vulnerability could expose sensitive operational data, system configurations, or cryptographic keys that are typically protected by the attestation mechanisms. While the availability impact is rated as none, the integrity implications are severe because adversaries may be able to corrupt the attestation process, undermining the trustworthiness of security measurements and potentially enabling further attacks against the compromised systems. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates from Intel, network segmentation to limit access to affected components, and enhanced monitoring for suspicious network activity patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.
The vulnerability demonstrates how modern security architectures can contain implementation flaws that undermine fundamental security principles, particularly in complex distributed environments where attestation processes are critical for maintaining security postures. Security teams should prioritize assessment of their Intel DCAP implementations and consider alternative attestation mechanisms if the vendor-provided fixes do not adequately address the underlying cryptographic weaknesses that enable this information disclosure vulnerability.