LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2021-0155: Unchecked return value in the BIOS firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may allow a privileged user to pot...

Unchecked return value in the BIOS firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may allow a privileged user to potentially enable information disclosure via local access.

MediumCVSS 5.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This is a BIOS firmware issue affecting some Intel processors. A local user who already has privileges could potentially expose sensitive information. It is not described as remotely exploitable, and the provided sources do not show active exploitation.

Executive priority

Prioritize through normal firmware risk management, with faster action for shared, regulated, or high-sensitivity systems. Business urgency is moderate because exploitation requires local privileged access, but successful exploitation could expose confidential information.

Technical view

CVE-2021-0155 is a CWE-252 unchecked return value flaw in BIOS firmware for some Intel processors. CVSS 3.1 is 5.5: local access, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, high confidentiality impact only.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most relevant to physical, virtual, or appliance systems using affected Intel processors and BIOS firmware. The provided bundle does not include the affected processor or firmware version list, so inventory must be compared against Intel SA-00601 and any OEM guidance.

Exploitation context

The CVE requires local access and low privileges. The source bundle does not identify public exploit activity, and CISA KEV status is false. Treat this as a local confidentiality risk rather than an internet-facing emergency.

Researcher notes

The provided evidence confirms the weakness class, CVSS vector, local attack requirements, and confidentiality impact. It does not include affected version details, fixed firmware versions, proof-of-concept status, or vendor-specific remediation text beyond the cited advisories.

Mitigation direction

  • Review Intel SA-00601 for affected processors and firmware guidance.
  • Apply BIOS or platform firmware updates from the system OEM when applicable.
  • Review NetApp advisory NTAP-20220818-0003 for affected NetApp product status.
  • Limit local privileged access to systems until firmware status is confirmed.
  • Track exceptions where OEM firmware is unavailable or unsupported.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Intel processor models and BIOS or UEFI firmware versions.
  • Compare inventory against Intel SA-00601 and OEM support matrices.
  • Confirm applicable firmware updates were installed and recorded.
  • Review local privileged account access on affected systems.
  • Check vulnerability scanner results for CVE-2021-0155 coverage and false positives.
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.

cwe · low confidence lookup

CWE-252: 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 lookup
cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2021-0155 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
5.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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
5.5CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N1.83.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

5.5Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-0155Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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

CWE-252

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