CVE-2021-0159

Improper input validation in the BIOS authenticated code module for some Intel(R) Processors may allow a privileged user to potentially enable aescalation of privilege via local access.

Published: 2022-05-12 Last update: 2025-05-05 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2021-0159 is rated Moderate Risk (43.7/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.14%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-0159

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-11-21 0.04% 0.14% +0.10%
2 2025-11-18 0.08% 0.04% -0.04%
3 2025-03-17 — 0.08% —

Full EPSS history (5 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-0159

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.8 5.9 [email protected]
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.8 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
7.2 2.0 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:L)
Requires local access to the target system.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 3.9 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-0159

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-0159

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
intel xeon_bronze_3204_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_bronze_3204_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_bronze_3206r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_bronze_3206r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5215_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5215_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5215l_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5215l_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5217_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5217_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5218_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5218_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5218b_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5218b_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5218n_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5218n_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5218r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5218r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5218t_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5218t_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5220_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5220_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5220r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5220r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5220s_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5220s_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5220t_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5220t_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5222_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5222_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5315y_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5315y_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5317_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5317_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5318h_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5318h_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5318n_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5318n_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5318s_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5318s_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5318y_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5318y_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5320_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5320_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5320h_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5320h_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_5320t_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_5320t_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6208u_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6208u_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6209u_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6209u_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6210u_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6210u_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6212u_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6212u_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6222v_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6222v_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6226_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6226_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6226r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6226r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6230_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6230_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6230n_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6230n_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6230r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6230r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6230t_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6230t_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6234_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6234_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6238_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6238_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6238l_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6238l_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6238r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6238r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6238t_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6238t_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6240_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6240_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6240l_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6240l_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6240r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6240r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6240y_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6240y_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6242_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6242_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6242r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6242r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6244_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6244_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6246_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6246_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6246r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6246r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6248_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6248_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6248r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6248r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6250_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6250_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6250l_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6250l_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6252_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6252_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6252n_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6252n_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6254_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6254_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6256_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6256_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6258r_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6258r_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6262v_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6262v_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6312u_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6312u_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6314u_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6314u_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6326_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6326_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6328h_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6328h_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6328hl_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6328hl_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6330_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6330_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6330h_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6330h_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6330n_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6330n_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6334_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6334_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6336y_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6336y_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6338_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6338_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6338n_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6338n_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6338t_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6338t_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6342_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6342_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6346_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6346_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6348_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6348_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6348h_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6348h_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_gold_6354_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_gold_6354_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_platinum_8253_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_platinum_8253_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_platinum_8256_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_platinum_8256_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
intel xeon_platinum_8260_firmware — cpe:2.3:o:intel:xeon_platinum_8260_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-0159

cvelogic Threat Intelligence