CVE-2021-33159
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 · uneditedImproper authentication in subsystem for Intel(R) AMT before versions 11.8.93, 11.22.93, 11.12.93, 12.0.92, 14.1.67, 15.0.42, 16.1.25 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 confidenceIntel AMT (Active Management Technology) contains an improper authentication vulnerability in its subsystem that allows a privileged user to escalate their privileges via local access. The attacker already needs authenticated access to the system as a privileged user before exploiting this flaw to gain higher-level privileges within the AMT management subsystem.
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< 11.8.93>= 11.12.0, < 11.12.93>= 11.22.0, < 11.22.93>= 12.0, < 12.0.92>= 14.1, < 14.1.67>= 15.0, < 15.0.42>= 16.1.0, < 16.1.25CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Intel AMT is present and enabledAccess the system BIOS during boot (typically press F2, Del, or Ctrl+P to enter MEBx/Intel ME setup) and check for Intel AMT/ME settings. Alternatively, use system information tools like 'intelmetool' (if available on Linux) or Windows management tools that query AMT status.Affected if Intel AMT is found to be enabled on the system
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Determine Intel AMT firmware versionIn the BIOS/MEBx interface, navigate to Intel AMT configuration and locate the firmware version information. On Linux, run 'intelmetool -v' or check /sys/class/mei/*/version if the mei driver is loaded. On Windows, use Intel MEK/CIM providers or the Intel AMT SDK tools.Affected if The displayed firmware version falls within any of these ranges: < 11.8.93, >= 11.12.0 and < 11.12.93, >= 11.22.0 and < 11.22.93, >= 12.0 and < 12.0.92, >= 14.1 and < 14.1.67, >= 15.0 and < 15.0.42, or >= 16.1.0 and < 16.1.25
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Assess local access exposureDetermine whether untrusted or unauthorized personnel have physical access to the system console or can obtain local login credentials. Check if the system is in a secured location with controlled physical access.Affected if Untrusted individuals could gain local/physical access to the system where they could authenticate as a privileged user
A user is affected if Intel AMT is enabled with a firmware version matching the affected ranges and untrusted parties could obtain local access or privileged credentials.
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 data11.8.9311.12.9311.22.93
Update Intel AMT firmware to version 11.8.93, 11.22.93, 11.12.93, 12.0.92, 14.1.67, 15.0.42, 16.1.25 or later. Given the local access requirement, ensure physical security and restrict console access to trusted personnel.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-33159 — 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-2021-33159 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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- 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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