Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-41614 is a processor-core privilege-control flaw in OpenRISC mor1kx. A lower-privileged user program may read or change the Exception Program Counter Register, a sensitive control register. In systems that use this core, that could undermine isolation and support full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Executive priority
Prioritize this where mor1kx is present in products, appliances, research hardware, or embedded designs. The impact rating is high, but business urgency depends on confirmed use because the public record does not list mainstream downstream products or active exploitation.
Technical view
The mor1kx controller unit incorrectly implements read/write permissions for EPCR. The CVSS vector is local, low complexity, low privilege, no user interaction, unchanged scope, with high C/I/A impact. Public metadata does not identify affected packaged products, downstream integrations, or fixed versions.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to organizations using OpenRISC mor1kx in processor designs, FPGA/SoC integrations, research platforms, or products derived from that RTL. The source bundle lists affected vendor/product/version as n/a, so downstream product exposure must be confirmed by inventory.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not report active exploitation, and CISA KEV is false. Exploitation requires local code execution at a lower privilege level on a system using the vulnerable mor1kx controller behavior. No exploit code or weaponized procedure is provided in the cited sources.
Researcher notes
This is CWE-276, incorrect default permissions, applied to a CPU control-register access path. Key gaps are fixed version, remediating commit, and downstream affected products. Focus analysis on controller privilege checks around EPCR and any system assumptions relying on user/kernel isolation.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory hardware, RTL, FPGA, and product designs for OpenRISC mor1kx use.
- Check upstream mor1kx issue 140 and vendor guidance for fixes or workarounds.
- Avoid running untrusted user programs on affected mor1kx-based systems until remediated.
- Ask suppliers whether shipped components include mor1kx and EPCR permission fixes.
- Track any downstream advisories because affected product metadata is incomplete.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether any deployed or developed design includes the mor1kx controller unit.
- Review the RTL or supplier attestation for corrected EPCR privilege enforcement.
- Run privilege-regression tests that verify user mode cannot read or write EPCR.
- Check build manifests and hardware bills of materials for OpenRISC mor1kx references.
- Document unsupported or unverifiable mor1kx integrations as residual risk.
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-276: 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-2021-41614 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
- 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
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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/openrisc/mor1kx/issues/140CVE reference
- https://seth.engr.tamu.edu/software-releases/thehuzz/CVE reference
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.
Incorrect Default Permissions
Incorrect Default Permissions represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.