CVE-2021-39298
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 · uneditedA potential vulnerability in AMD System Management Mode (SMM) interrupt handler may allow an attacker with high privileges to access the SMM resulting in arbitrary code execution which could be used by malicious actors to bypass security mechanisms provided in the UEFI firmware.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in AMD System Management Mode (SMM) interrupt handler allows an attacker with high privileges to execute arbitrary code within SMM, which operates at the highest privilege level on x86 processors. This arbitrary SMM code execution can be leveraged to bypass UEFI firmware security mechanisms such as Secure Boot.
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< 02.12.00< 02.10.00< 02.07.00< 02.75< 02.75< 02.75< 02.75< 02.10.00CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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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Identify the HP system modelCheck the system model using system information tools (such as 'msinfo32', 'systeminfo' on Windows, or 'dmidecode' on Linux). Look for the exact product name such as 'Hp Z1 Entry Tower G5 Workstation', 'Hp Z4 G4 Workstation', or 'Hp Engage Flex Mini Retail System'.Affected if The system matches one of the affected HP models listed in the CVE (Z1 G5, Z1 G6, Z1 G8, Z4 G4, Z6 G4, Z8 G4, or Engage Flex Mini)
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Retrieve the current firmware versionAccess the BIOS/UEFI setup screen during boot, or use HP-specific tools like 'HP Support Assistant', 'HP BIOS Configuration Utility (BCU)', or 'HP Firmware Update' tools. On Linux, 'dmidecode -s bios-version' may also retrieve the firmware version.Affected if Unable to retrieve a firmware version (firmware may be locked or inaccessible)
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Compare firmware version against affected thresholdMatch the installed firmware version to the specific threshold for your model: Z1 G5 requires >= 02.12.00, Z1 G6 requires >= 02.10.00, Z1 G8 requires >= 02.07.00, Z4 G4 requires >= 02.75, Z6 G4 requires >= 02.75, Z8 G4 requires >= 02.75, Engage Flex Mini requires >= 02.10.00.Affected if The installed firmware version is lower than the required threshold for your specific HP model
A system is affected if it is an HP Z1, Z4, Z6, Z8 workstation or Engage Flex Mini with firmware version below the specified threshold, as the SMM vulnerability exists in the firmware of these unpatched versions.
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.
dbcve · scoped02.07.0002.10.0002.12.00
Apply AMD-provided firmware updates (BIOS/UEFI updates) to patch the SMM vulnerability; verify that affected systems receive the update through enterprise patch management.
HP firmware version >= 02.12.00 (G5), >= 02.10.00 (G6), >= 02.07.00 (G8), >= 02.75 (G4 workstations), >= 02.10.00 (Engage Flex Mini)
- Identify the exact HP workstation or system model from the affected list (Z1 Entry Tower G5, Z1 Entry Tower G6, Z1 G8 Tower, Z4 G4 Workstation, Z6 G4 Workstation, Z8 G4 Workstation, or Engage Flex Mini Retail System)
- Access the HP Support website (support.hp.com) and navigate to the drivers and firmware section for the specific model
- Locate the current firmware version installed on the system (available via HP BIOS/Firmware Update utility or HP Support Assistant)
- Download the latest HP firmware update for the specific model - ensure the version meets or exceeds: Z1 Entry Tower G5: 02.12.00, Z1 Entry Tower G6: 02.10.00, Z1 G8 Tower: 02.07.00, Z4/Z6/Z8 G4 Workstation: 02.75, Engage Flex Mini Retail System: 02.10.00
- Run the HP firmware update utility as an administrator, ensuring the system is connected to AC power and not interrupted during the flashing process
- Restart the system after the firmware update completes and verify the new firmware version is installed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,160.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-39298 — 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-2021-39298 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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