CVE-2021-32015
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 · uneditedIn Nuvoton NPCT75x TPM 1.2 firmware 7.4.0.0, a local authenticated malicious user with high privileges could potentially gain unauthorized access to TPM non-volatile memory. NOTE: Upgrading to firmware version 7.4.0.1 will mitigate against the vulnerability, but version 7.4.0.1 is not TCG or Common Criteria (CC) certified. Nuvoton recommends that users apply the NPCT75x TPM 1.2 firmware update.
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 confidenceThis is a local authorization bypass in Nuvoton NPCT75x TPM 1.2 firmware where an authenticated malicious user with high privileges can access TPM non-volatile memory they should not have access to. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls on TPM NV memory regions.
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= 7.4.0.0CVSS 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
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify TPM chip modelQuery the TPM device to confirm the manufacturer and model. On Linux, use `cat /sys/class/tpm/tpm0/device/description` or `tpm2_getcap --capability=manufacturer`. On Windows, run `tpmtool getdeviceinformation` or check via WMI.Affected if The TPM is not a Nuvoton NPCT75x, then this specific CVE does not apply.
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Retrieve TPM firmware versionQuery the TPM firmware version from the system. On Linux, use `tpm2_getcap --capability=firmware-version` or read from `/sys/class/tpm/tpm0/device/firmware_version`. On Windows, run `tpmtool getdeviceinformation` or use the TPM Management console.Affected if Unable to retrieve a firmware version - the TPM may not be accessible or properly configured.
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Compare installed version to affected rangeCheck if the retrieved firmware version exactly matches 7.4.0.0. The CVE documentation specifies the affected version as Nuvoton NPCT75x Firmware = 7.4.0.0.Affected if The installed firmware version is exactly 7.4.0.0, indicating the environment is running the vulnerable version.
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Verify TPM NV memory access configurationInspect the TPM NV memory region access policies using `tpm2_nvreadpublic` or manufacturer-provided tools to review which NV indices have insufficient access controls configured. This vulnerability specifically exploits inadequate access controls on TPM non-volatile memory regions.Affected if NV memory regions exist where the authenticated high-privilege user can access indices they should not have permission to read or write.
The environment is affected by this CVE if the Nuvoton NPCT75x TPM firmware version is exactly 7.4.0.0 and an authenticated user with high privileges can access TPM NV memory regions they should not be able to reach.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade TPM firmware to version 7.4.0.1, though this version lacks TCG and Common Criteria certification - organizations must weigh security remediation against compliance requirements.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-32015 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-32015 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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
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