LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2021-0091: Improper access control in the firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may allow an unauthenticated user to p...

Improper access control in the firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable an escalation of privilege via local access.

HighCVSS 7.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-0091 is a high-severity Intel processor firmware access-control flaw. A local attacker with some access could potentially gain higher privileges. The main business concern is compromise of systems that rely on affected processor firmware, especially where local user or workload access is possible.

Executive priority

Treat this as a high-priority firmware governance issue, not an internet-wide emergency. Prioritize assets where untrusted users, contractors, workloads, or tenants can obtain local access, and track remediation through hardware and platform owners.

Technical view

The CVE describes improper access control in firmware for some Intel processors. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8 with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to systems using the affected Intel processors and firmware identified by Intel SA-00527. NetApp also published an advisory, so teams should check vendor-specific applicability for NetApp-managed platforms. Exact affected models and versions are not provided in the source bundle.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or any cited active exploitation. Exploitation is local, not remote, but the CVSS vector indicates low complexity and high impact after an attacker has local low-privileged access.

Researcher notes

Evidence in the supplied bundle is limited to the CVE record, Intel advisory reference, and NetApp advisory reference. The bundle does not include affected processor lists, fixed firmware versions, proof-of-concept status, or exploitation reports, so conclusions should remain advisory-driven.

Mitigation direction

  • Review Intel SA-00527 for affected processor and firmware applicability.
  • Check OEM server, laptop, and appliance vendor guidance for firmware remediation.
  • Review NetApp NTAP-20220210-0007 for NetApp-specific exposure statements.
  • Prioritize remediation on shared, multi-user, and privileged infrastructure.
  • Restrict unnecessary local user access while remediation status is unknown.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Intel processor models and firmware versions across managed assets.
  • Map inventory against Intel SA-00527 and relevant OEM advisories.
  • Check whether NetApp products in scope match the NetApp advisory.
  • Verify firmware update status using approved vendor or asset-management tooling.
  • Record exceptions where vendor guidance says the product is unaffected.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

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-2021-0091 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
High
CVSS
7.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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
3Source 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
7.8CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.8High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-0091Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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
n/aIntel(R) ProcessorsSee referencesListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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