CVE-2026-0893: AMI APTIOV BIOS Information Disclosure

CVE-2026-0893 Overview

CVE-2026-0893 is an information disclosure vulnerability in AMI APTIOV BIOS firmware. An attacker with local access and low privileges can trigger exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor [CWE-213]. Successful exploitation can lead to information disclosure, privilege escalation, and further impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system.

The weakness resides within the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware layer supplied by AMI (American Megatrends International), a widely deployed firmware component on x86 server and client platforms.

Critical Impact
Local attackers with low privileges can extract sensitive firmware data from AMI APTIOV BIOS, enabling downstream privilege escalation and compromise of platform integrity.

Affected Products

AMI APTIOV BIOS firmware
OEM platforms shipping with AMI APTIOV firmware
Server and client systems based on AMI reference firmware

Discovery Timeline

2026-10-13 - CVE-2026-0893 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-10-13 - Last updated in NVD database
2026-10-13 - AMI Security Advisory SA-2026002 released

Technical Details for CVE-2026-0893

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is categorized under [CWE-213]: Exposure of Sensitive Information Due to Incompatible Policies. BIOS firmware stores and processes sensitive data including configuration variables, cryptographic material, and platform secrets intended to remain isolated from the operating system runtime.

In AMI APTIOV, a logic flaw permits a locally authenticated actor to read data that policy should otherwise restrict. The attack is scoped to local access and requires low privileges, but no user interaction. Attack complexity is rated high, indicating the attacker must satisfy specific conditions outside their direct control to succeed.

Beyond the primary confidentiality impact, disclosed firmware material can be leveraged to escalate privileges or bypass platform protections, extending the blast radius into integrity and availability of the host.

Root Cause

The root cause involves improper enforcement of information-exposure policy within an AMI APTIOV BIOS component. Sensitive data accessible through the affected interface is not adequately restricted from a lower-privileged local caller. AMI's advisory SA-2026002 provides the authoritative component-level description.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access to the system and valid low-privileged credentials on the running operating system. The attacker interacts with the vulnerable BIOS interface from the OS runtime context to coerce the firmware into disclosing data that should remain protected. No remote exploitation path has been documented.

The vulnerability mechanism is described in the AMI Security Advisory SA-2026002. No public proof-of-concept exploit is available at the time of writing.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-0893

Indicators of Compromise

No specific indicators of compromise have been published for CVE-2026-0893.
Unexpected reads of BIOS/UEFI variables, SMI handlers, or firmware interfaces originating from low-privileged user sessions.
Unexplained local privilege escalation on hosts running vulnerable AMI APTIOV firmware.

Detection Strategies

Inventory firmware versions across the fleet and cross-reference with AMI Security Advisory SA-2026002 to identify affected platforms.
Monitor OS-to-firmware interface calls (for example, UEFI runtime services and SMI invocations) for anomalous access patterns from non-administrative processes.
Correlate local logon events with subsequent privilege changes to surface potential post-exploitation activity.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable firmware integrity measurement and attestation where supported by the platform (for example, Intel BootGuard, TPM PCR validation).
Forward endpoint telemetry including process execution, driver loads, and privilege transitions to a centralized data lake for retrospective hunting.
Alert on unauthorized loading of kernel drivers or tools that interact with BIOS interfaces such as RWEverything, chipsec, or custom SMM access utilities.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-0893

Immediate Actions Required

Review AMI Security Advisory SA-2026002 and identify affected platforms by firmware build and OEM.
Contact system OEMs for firmware updates incorporating AMI's fix for CVE-2026-0893.
Restrict local access to systems running vulnerable AMI APTIOV firmware, especially multi-tenant or shared-use hosts.
Enforce least privilege on local accounts to reduce the pool of actors capable of invoking the vulnerable interface.

Patch Information

AMI has published remediation guidance in AMI Security Advisory SA-2026002. Firmware updates are distributed through system OEMs. Administrators should obtain the applicable BIOS update from their platform vendor and validate deployment through firmware version checks after installation.

Workarounds

Limit physical and interactive logon access to the affected systems.
Disable or restrict unprivileged access to firmware configuration tools and vendor utilities.
Enable secure boot, measured boot, and firmware write protections supported by the platform.
Monitor for unauthorized firmware-interacting software and block via application control policies.

bash

# Verify installed BIOS version on Linux to confirm patch deployment
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version
sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date
sudo dmidecode -s bios-vendor

# Verify installed BIOS version on Windows (PowerShell)
# Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_BIOS | Select-Object Manufacturer, SMBIOSBIOSVersion, ReleaseDate