LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2019-6171: A vulnerability was reported in various BIOS versions of older ThinkPad systems that could allow a user wit...

A vulnerability was reported in various BIOS versions of older ThinkPad systems that could allow a user with administrative privileges or physical access the ability to update the Embedded Controller with unsigned firmware.

MediumCVSS 6.4Not KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Older Lenovo ThinkPad BIOS versions had a firmware trust weakness. Someone with physical access, or administrative control according to the CVE description, could update the Embedded Controller with unsigned firmware. That can matter because embedded firmware sits below the operating system and may be difficult to inspect or recover from if modified.

Executive priority

Treat this as a targeted local-access firmware risk, not a broad remote emergency. Prioritize older ThinkPads in sensitive roles and confirm whether Lenovo-provided updates or retirement plans exist.

Technical view

CVE-2019-6171 affects various BIOS versions on older Lenovo ThinkPad systems. The reported flaw permits unsigned Embedded Controller firmware updates under constrained access conditions. CVSS v3.0 is 6.4 with physical attack vector, high complexity, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in fleets that still include older ThinkPad models with affected BIOS versions. Internet-facing exposure is not indicated; access appears local or privileged based on the CVE description and CVSS vector.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Practical abuse would require close access conditions, but successful compromise could affect low-level firmware integrity and persistence.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to CVE metadata and Lenovo’s advisory reference in the source bundle. Do not assume specific affected model lists, exploitation, or remediation details beyond Lenovo guidance without consulting LEN-27764 directly.

Mitigation direction

  • Review Lenovo advisory LEN-27764 for affected models and vendor guidance.
  • Apply Lenovo-supported BIOS or Embedded Controller firmware updates where available.
  • Restrict local administrator rights on affected ThinkPad systems.
  • Control physical access to laptops, especially shared or high-risk devices.
  • Retire or isolate unsupported affected systems when vendor updates are unavailable.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory ThinkPad models and BIOS versions across the fleet.
  • Compare inventory against Lenovo advisory LEN-27764.
  • Confirm whether Embedded Controller firmware updates are signed and current.
  • Prioritize devices used by executives, administrators, and sensitive teams.
  • Document systems with no available vendor remediation path.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2019-6171 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
6.4 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
6.4CVSS 3.0MediumCVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H0.55.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

6.4Medium
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2019-6171Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LenovoBIOSvariousListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.