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Insydeh2oApplication · Insyde

CVE-2021-42060

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 05.08.49 / 5.16.42 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
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
An issue was discovered in Insyde InsydeH2O Kernel 5.0 through 05.08.41, Kernel 5.1 through 05.16.41, Kernel 5.2 before 05.23.22, and Kernel 5.3 before 05.32.22. An Int15ServiceSmm SMM callout vulnerability allows an attacker to hijack execution flow of code running in System Management Mode. Exploiting this issue could lead to escalating privileges to SMM.

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 is a System Management Mode (SMM) callout vulnerability in Insyde InsydeH2O UEFI firmware kernel versions 5.0-5.3. The Int15ServiceSmm interface allows attackers to hijack execution flow of code running in SMM, which operates at the highest privilege level on x86 systems, enabling full system compromise.

MitigationApply vendor-provided firmware updates from Insyde or the OEM for affected systems. Verify SMM integrity post-update.

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
Insydeh2oApplication
Affected:>= 5.2, < 5.23.35>= 5.3, < 5.32.35>= 5.1, < 5.16.42>= 5.0, < 05.08.49

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the UEFI firmware vendor
    Check system firmware information via dmidecode -s bios-vendor, or check UEFI/BIOS setup screen, or use fwupdtool get-devices
    Affected if The vendor is not Insyde (the vulnerability only affects Insyde InsydeH2O firmware)
  2. Determine the InsydeH2O firmware version
    Run dmidecode -s bios-version, or check the UEFI/BIOS setup screen for the firmware version string
    Affected if Version cannot be determined or is not an InsydeH2O version number in the 5.x range
  3. Compare installed version against affected ranges
    Compare your firmware version to: >=5.0 and <05.08.49; >=5.1 and <5.16.42; >=5.2 and <5.23.35; >=5.3 and <5.32.35
    Affected if Your version falls within any of these ranges, indicating the system is vulnerable
  4. Verify Int15ServiceSmm interface presence
    This is a kernel-level UEFI component. Check firmware logs or SMM configuration via UEFI shell tools (if available) for the presence of Int15ServiceSmm functionality
    Affected if The Int15ServiceSmm interface is exposed on the system (this is the vulnerable component)

A user is affected if their system runs Insyde InsydeH2O UEFI firmware version 5.0 through the listed thresholds and the Int15ServiceSmm interface is present.

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 05.08.49 / 5.16.42 / 5.23.35 or later
Fixed in 05.08.495.16.425.23.35
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided firmware updates from Insyde or the OEM for affected systems. Verify SMM integrity post-update.

Recommended fix High confidence

InsydeH2O Kernel 5.0 to >=05.08.49; Kernel 5.1 to >=5.16.42; Kernel 5.2 to >=5.23.35; Kernel 5.3 to >=5.32.35

  1. 1. Identify the InsydeH2O kernel version currently installed on the affected system by checking the UEFI/BIOS firmware version information
  2. 2. Determine the specific kernel branch (5.0, 5.1, 5.2, or 5.3) that needs to be updated based on the current firmware version
  3. 3. Obtain the fixed InsydeH2O firmware from the system vendor (OEM) or Insyde directly - contact the hardware manufacturer for the appropriate BIOS/UEFI update
  4. 4. Apply the firmware update following the vendor's standard UEFI/BIOS update procedure (typically via flash utility, ISO, or vendor-provided update mechanism)
  5. 5. Verify the update was successful by confirming the new firmware version matches the fixed release (05.08.49 for Kernel 5.0, 5.16.42 for Kernel 5.1, 5.23.35 for Kernel 5.2, or 5.32.35 for Kernel 5.3)
Caveat Firmware updates carry a risk of rendering the system unbootable if interrupted; ensure stable power and follow vendor update procedures precisely

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

Fix this in Insydeh2o Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
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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-2021-42060 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