Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a firmware initialization flaw affecting some Intel processors. It can let someone with both privileged access and physical access escalate privileges. The business risk is concentrated in laptops, servers, appliances, and embedded systems where an attacker can touch hardware or influence firmware maintenance.
Executive priority
Handle as a moderate-risk hardware firmware issue. It is not evidenced as actively exploited in the provided sources, but successful abuse could fully compromise affected systems where an attacker has privileged and physical access.
Technical view
CVE-2021-0119 is CWE-665 improper initialization in firmware for some Intel processors. The CVSS 3.1 score is 6.2 with AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. The source bundle does not list exact affected processor models or firmware versions.
Likely exposure
Exposure depends on whether assets use processor and firmware combinations covered by Intel SA-00527 or related vendor advisories such as NetApp NTAP-20220210-0007. Public-facing software alone is not the main concern; physical access and privileged local control are required.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. Exploitation requires physical access and a privileged user, reducing broad remote risk but increasing concern for shared facilities, lost devices, labs, data centers, and high-value appliances.
Researcher notes
Key constraints are physical attack vector and high required privileges. The bundle confirms CWE-665 and high CIA impact but does not include affected model lists, proof-of-concept status, or definitive remediation details. Use vendor advisories for product-specific validation.
Mitigation direction
- Review Intel SA-00527 for affected processors and vendor guidance.
- Check OEM firmware, BIOS, or platform advisories for applicable updates.
- Review NetApp advisory if using affected NetApp systems.
- Prioritize assets with weak physical controls or sensitive workloads.
- Restrict administrative access to systems until vendor guidance is confirmed.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Intel processor models and firmware versions across managed assets.
- Map hardware against Intel SA-00527 and vendor advisories.
- Confirm whether OEM firmware updates are available and installed.
- Check NetApp exposure against NTAP-20220210-0007 where relevant.
- Document physical access controls for exposed or high-value systems.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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.
CWE-665: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-0119 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.2 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe 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.
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H0.35.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.2MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00527.htmlCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220210-0007/CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Initialization
Improper Initialization represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.