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CVE Record

CVE-2021-41840: An issue was discovered in NvmExpressDxe in the kernel 5.0 through 5.5 in Insyde InsydeH2O.

An issue was discovered in NvmExpressDxe in the kernel 5.0 through 5.5 in Insyde InsydeH2O. There is an SMM callout that allows an attacker to access the System Management Mode and execute arbitrary code. This occurs because of Inclusion of Functionality from an Untrusted Control Sphere.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-41840 is a firmware-level issue in InsydeH2O involving the NVMe driver component. The reported impact is arbitrary code execution in System Management Mode, a highly privileged CPU mode below the operating system. Business risk is serious where affected firmware is present, but the public bundle does not provide CVSS, broad affected-product details, or exploitation evidence.

Executive priority

Prioritize asset discovery and vendor firmware confirmation for critical systems. The impact is potentially deep firmware compromise, but urgency should be driven by whether affected InsydeH2O versions exist in your fleet and whether vendors provide updates.

Technical view

The issue is described in NvmExpressDxe in InsydeH2O kernel versions 5.0 through 5.5. An SMM callout can let an attacker reach System Management Mode and execute arbitrary code, attributed to inclusion of functionality from an untrusted control sphere. Public metadata does not list CPEs, CWE identifiers, exploit prerequisites, or complete affected OEM firmware mappings.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to devices or appliances shipping InsydeH2O firmware with kernel 5.0 through 5.5 and the affected NvmExpressDxe component. The provided CVE metadata lists affected vendor and product as unavailable, so validation depends on OEM firmware inventories and vendor advisories.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or any cited evidence of active exploitation. Sources describe SMM arbitrary code execution potential, but they do not provide public exploit status, attacker prerequisites, or whether exploitation requires local, privileged, or physical access.

Researcher notes

The public record is sparse: no CVSS vector, no CPEs, no CWE IDs, and no detailed prerequisites are included. Treat the SMM callout description as high-impact, but avoid assuming affected models or exploitability beyond the cited advisories.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify devices using InsydeH2O firmware kernel 5.0 through 5.5.
  • Check Insyde, OEM, Siemens, NetApp, and CERT guidance for affected models.
  • Apply vendor-provided BIOS or UEFI firmware updates where available.
  • Track compensating guidance if a firmware update is not yet available.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory firmware vendor, BIOS version, and InsydeH2O kernel version across assets.
  • Map inventory against Insyde SA-2022018 and OEM advisories.
  • Confirm whether NvmExpressDxe is present in vendor firmware release notes.
  • Verify remediation by recording updated firmware versions after maintenance.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
7

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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Execution behavior lookup

The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.

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CVE-2021-41840 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
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.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
6Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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