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CVE Record

CVE-2021-33077: Insufficient control flow management in firmware for some Intel(R) SSD, Intel(R) Optane(TM) SSD and Intel(R...

Insufficient control flow management in firmware for some Intel(R) SSD, Intel(R) Optane(TM) SSD and Intel(R) SSD DC Products may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via physical access.

MediumCVSS 6.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This firmware issue affects some Intel SSD, Intel Optane SSD, and Intel SSD DC products. An unauthenticated person with physical access could potentially gain elevated privileges. Business urgency is highest for systems storing sensitive data in locations where physical access is possible or weakly controlled.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate infrastructure risk. It is not described as remotely exploitable, but physical compromise could have high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability for affected systems.

Technical view

CVE-2021-33077 is insufficient control flow management in firmware for some Intel storage products. The CVSS 3.1 score is 6.8 with physical attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to organizations using the affected Intel SSD, Intel Optane SSD, or Intel SSD DC products. Exact models and firmware versions are not included in the source bundle and require checking Intel advisory INTEL-SA-00563.

Exploitation context

The source states exploitation requires physical access and no prior authentication. The bundle does not cite CISA KEV listing, active exploitation, public exploit use, or remote exploitation evidence.

Researcher notes

The bundle identifies the vulnerability class and CVSS vector but not exact affected firmware versions or remediation details. Validation should focus on matching hardware and firmware to Intel’s advisory without assuming broader Intel product impact.

Mitigation direction

  • Review Intel advisory INTEL-SA-00563 for affected models and vendor guidance.
  • Restrict physical access to systems containing potentially affected Intel drives.
  • Prioritize remediation for shared, colocated, kiosk, lab, and high-sensitivity systems.
  • Use only vendor-approved firmware or mitigation instructions.
  • Document exceptions where affected hardware cannot be updated.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Intel SSD, Optane SSD, and SSD DC model and firmware details.
  • Compare discovered hardware against Intel advisory INTEL-SA-00563.
  • Confirm whether exposed systems have realistic physical access risk.
  • Verify firmware or mitigation status through asset management records.
  • Retest inventory after maintenance windows or hardware refreshes.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
3

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

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CVE-2021-33077 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
6.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/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
2Source 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
6.8CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H0.95.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

6.8Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-33077Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/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) SSD, Intel(R) Optane(TM) SSD and Intel(R) SSD DC ProductsSee 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.