LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2021-0188: Return of pointer value outside of expected range in the BIOS firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may all...

Return of pointer value outside of expected range in the BIOS firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may allow a privileged user to potentially enable aescalation 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-2021-0188 is a BIOS firmware flaw affecting some Intel processors. A local user with existing low-level privileges could potentially increase their access on the device. This is not described as remotely exploitable, but successful exploitation could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Executive priority

Treat as high priority for servers, workstations, and appliances where local users or administrators are not fully trusted. Prioritize firmware validation and updates for critical business systems first.

Technical view

The issue is described as a pointer value returned outside the expected range in BIOS 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 CIA impact. CWE-119 is listed.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to systems using affected Intel processor platforms and BIOS firmware versions. The provided bundle does not enumerate exact processor models or firmware versions, so asset matching must rely on Intel SA-00601 and relevant OEM guidance.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not support active exploitation claims; CISA KEV is false. Exploitation is characterized as local access by a privileged user, not unauthenticated remote compromise.

Researcher notes

Evidence in the bundle is limited to the CVE description, CVSS vector, CWE, KEV status, and advisory URLs. Do not assume affected models, exploit availability, or specific fixes without reviewing Intel SA-00601 and product-specific vendor advisories.

Mitigation direction

  • Check Intel SA-00601 for affected platforms and vendor-provided remediation guidance.
  • Apply BIOS or firmware updates only where Intel or the OEM identifies applicability.
  • Review NetApp advisory if Intel-based NetApp products are in scope.
  • Restrict local privileged access on potentially affected systems until remediation is confirmed.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Intel processor platforms and current BIOS firmware versions.
  • Compare inventory against Intel SA-00601 and OEM advisories.
  • Confirm whether NetApp advisory NTAP-20220818-0003 applies to deployed NetApp products.
  • Verify firmware update status through vendor tools, change records, or configuration management.
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-119: 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-2021-0188 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-2021-0188Attack 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

CWE-119

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

CWE-119 · source CWE mapping

Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer

Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

Open CWE intelligenceSame-CWE CVEs