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Atom C3308Hardware / appliance · Intel

CVE-2021-0115

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Buffer overflow in the firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may allow a privileged 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 · moderate confidence

Buffer overflow vulnerability in the firmware of certain Intel processors allows a locally authenticated privileged user to potentially escalate their privileges. The vulnerability exists in the processor firmware component and requires local access for exploitation.

MitigationApply the latest Intel processor firmware/BIOS updates provided through Intel's support channels. Verify that systems are running current firmware versions and establish a firmware update cadence as part of regular security patching cycles.

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
Atom C3308Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Atom C3336Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Atom C3338Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Atom C3338rHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Atom C3436lHardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Atom C3508Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Atom C3538Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions
Atom C3558Hardware / appliance
Affected:all versions

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 the processor model
    Run 'lscpu' or check /proc/cpuinfo to identify the CPU model. Look for Intel Atom C3308, C3336, C3338, C3338r, C3436l, C3508, C3538, or C3558.
    Affected if The processor is one of the listed Intel Atom models (C3308, C3336, C3338, C3338r, C3436l, C3508, C3538, C3558).
  2. Check if running any firmware version
    Check the system BIOS/UEFI firmware version. On Linux, use 'dmidecode -s bios-version' or check the BIOS setup utility. On Windows, run 'wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion'. On some systems, the firmware version may be visible in the boot log or /var/log/dmesg.
    Affected if The system is running any firmware version on an affected Intel Atom processor, since all versions are vulnerable according to the provided data.
  3. Verify local privileged access context
    Confirm whether local authenticated privileged user access is possible. Check for existing user accounts with elevated privileges using 'whoami', 'id', or checking sudo/group membership.
    Affected if A local authenticated privileged user account exists on the system, which is required for exploitation of this vulnerability.

The system is affected if it uses any of the listed Intel Atom processors (C3308, C3336, C3338, C3338r, C3436l, C3508, C3538, C3558) and has any firmware version installed, since all versions of these processors are vulnerable.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the latest Intel processor firmware/BIOS updates provided through Intel's support channels. Verify that systems are running current firmware versions and establish a firmware update cadence as part of regular security patching cycles.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Latest Intel Atom firmware/BIOS update (contact Intel for specific version numbers)

  1. 1. Identify the specific Intel Atom processor model (C3308, C3336, C3338, C3338r, C3436l, C3508, C3538, or C3558) in your system.
  2. 2. Visit the official Intel support website (www.intel.com) and navigate to the drivers and support section for your specific processor.
  3. 3. Download the latest firmware/BIOS update provided by Intel for your processor model.
  4. 4. Follow Intel's firmware update instructions, which typically require: booting into the system BIOS/UEFI setup, or using Intel's firmware update utilities.
  5. 5. Apply the firmware update ensuring stable power throughout the process.
  6. 6. After update completion, verify the firmware version matches the patched release.
Caveat Firmware updates carry risk of system damage if interrupted; ensure stable power and follow update instructions precisely

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

Fix this in Atom C3308 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2021-0115 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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