LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2021-0189: Use of out-of-range pointer offset in the BIOS firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may allow a privileged...

Use of out-of-range pointer offset 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-2021-0189 is a BIOS firmware flaw affecting some Intel processors. A local user who already has low privileges could potentially gain higher privileges on an affected system. The issue is high severity because successful exploitation could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Executive priority

Treat as high priority for systems where local user access is common or privilege boundaries matter, but validate applicability before emergency action.

Technical view

The CVE describes use of an out-of-range pointer offset in BIOS firmware for some Intel processors, classified under CWE-119. CVSS 3.1 is 7.8 with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high CIA impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to systems with the affected Intel processor and BIOS firmware combinations listed by vendor references. Remote-only exposure is not indicated; local authenticated access is required.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or public active exploitation evidence. Risk is mainly post-access privilege escalation on vulnerable endpoints, servers, or appliances.

Researcher notes

Available evidence identifies the bug class and CVSS characteristics but not exploit details. Keep analysis tied to vendor affected-product matrices and avoid assuming all Intel processor platforms are vulnerable.

Mitigation direction

  • Review Intel SA-00601 for affected processor and firmware guidance.
  • Check OEM or platform vendor advisories for BIOS remediation availability.
  • Prioritize remediation on shared, high-value, or privilege-sensitive systems.
  • Review NetApp NTAP-20220818-0003 for applicable NetApp environments.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Intel processor models and current BIOS firmware versions.
  • Map hardware and firmware against Intel SA-00601 applicability.
  • Confirm whether any NetApp-managed platforms match NTAP-20220818-0003.
  • Verify remediation status through vendor-approved firmware version records.
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-2021-0189 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-2021-0189Attack 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.