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Graphics DriversApplication · Intel

CVE-2021-0061

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 27.20.100.9030 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Improper initialization in some Intel(R) Graphics Driver before version 27.20.100.9030 may allow an authenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via local access.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This vulnerability is an improper initialization flaw in Intel Graphics Drivers prior to version 27.20.100.9030 that allows an authenticated local user to escalate privileges. The issue stems from the driver failing to properly initialize certain data structures or resources, which a local attacker could exploit to gain elevated system privileges.

MitigationUpdate Intel Graphics Driver to version 27.20.100.9030 or later. Organizations should deploy the updated driver through their standard patch management processes and verify functionality after installation.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Graphics DriversApplication
Affected:>= 27.20, < 27.20.100.9030

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Intel Graphics Driver version on Windows
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters', right-click on Intel graphics device, select 'Properties', go to 'Driver' tab and note the Driver Version field. Alternatively, run 'wmic path win32_VideoController get name,driverversion' in Command Prompt.
    Affected if The displayed driver version is earlier than 27.20.100.9030 (for example, 27.20.100.9466 would be vulnerable, 27.20.100.9030 or later is not).
  2. Check Intel Graphics Driver via registry
    Open Registry Editor and navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\igfx\Parameters' (or 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video' with subkeys for the Intel graphics device). Look for a version string in the DriverVersion or DriverDesc values.
    Affected if The registry contains a driver version string that is less than 27.20.100.9030.
  3. Use Intel Driver & Support Assistant or pnputil
    Run 'pnputil /enum-drivers' in an elevated Command Prompt to list installed driver packages, or use the Intel Driver & Support Assistant tool to scan for driver version information.
    Affected if The enumerated Intel graphics driver package version is prior to 27.20.100.9030.
  4. Confirm the driver is actively loaded
    Verify the driver is loaded by running 'sc query igfx' in Command Prompt to check if the Intel Graphics Driver service (igfx) exists and is running, or check Device Manager shows the Intel GPU as active.
    Affected if The driver is installed and active with a version below 27.20.100.9030 - only then is the system vulnerable to local privilege escalation.

A system is affected if the installed Intel Graphics Driver version (typically viewable in Device Manager, registry, or via pnputil) is 27.20.100.9030 or any earlier version within the 27.20.x.x range.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 27.20.100.9030 or later
Fixed in 27.20.100.9030
Interim mitigation

Update Intel Graphics Driver to version 27.20.100.9030 or later. Organizations should deploy the updated driver through their standard patch management processes and verify functionality after installation.

Recommended fix High confidence

27.20.100.9030 or later

  1. Identify the current Intel Graphics Driver version by opening Device Manager, expanding 'Display adapters', right-clicking the Intel GPU, and selecting 'Properties' > 'Driver tab'
  2. Download the Intel Graphics Driver version 27.20.100.9030 or later from Intel's official support website at www.intel.com (search for Intel Graphics Driver or use Intel Driver & Support Assistant)
  3. Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen prompts to update the graphics driver
  4. Restart the computer when prompted to complete the driver installation
  5. Verify the new driver version is installed by checking the Driver version in Device Manager

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Graphics Drivers Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-0061 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data