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Insydeh2oApplication · Insyde

CVE-2021-43615

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-02-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.16.23 / 5.23.22 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 HddPassword in Insyde InsydeH2O with kernel 5.1 before 05.16.23, 5.2 before 05.26.23, 5.3 before 05.35.23, 5.4 before 05.43.22, and 5.5 before 05.51.22. An SMM memory corruption vulnerability allows an attacker to write fixed or predictable data to SMRAM. 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 an SMM (System Management Mode) memory corruption vulnerability in the HddPassword component of Insyde InsydeH2O UEFI firmware across kernel versions 5.1-5.5. The flaw allows an attacker to write fixed or predictable data to SMRAM (System Management RAM), potentially leading to privilege escalation to SMM.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied firmware update: kernel 5.1 to 05.16.23, 5.2 to 05.26.23, 5.3 to 05.35.23, 5.4 to 05.43.22, or 5.5 to 05.51.22 or later. This is a critical SMM privilege escalation bug requiring firmware-level remediation.

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:>= 5.1, < 5.16.23>= 5.2, < 5.23.22>= 5.3, < 5.32.22

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 InsydeH2O firmware version
    Access the UEFI/BIOS setup screen during boot (typically via F2, F12, or Del key) and check the BIOS version information, or use a system information tool that reports UEFI firmware version (e.g., dmidecode -s bios-version on Linux, or manufacturer tools on Windows).
    Affected if The displayed firmware version falls within any of these ranges: >= 5.1 and < 5.16.23; >= 5.2 and < 5.23.22; or >= 5.3 and < 5.32.22.
  2. Confirm InsydeH2O kernel version
    Within the UEFI setup or firmware update utility, identify the kernel version number (typically shown as part of the firmware build string, e.g., 5.2.x). This is separate from the operating system kernel.
    Affected if The kernel version shown is 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, or 5.5 and the full version number is below the patched thresholds listed in step 1.
  3. Check if HddPassword is configured
    Enter the UEFI/BIOS setup and navigate to the Security or Password settings. Look for HDD Password, Hard Drive Password, or similar options under the Security or Advanced menu. Determine if a password is set or if the feature is accessible/enabled.
    Affected if The HddPassword feature is present and enabled, or a hard drive password is configured through this component.

If the system uses InsydeH2O UEFI firmware with a kernel version between 5.1 and 5.5 and the version number is below the patched thresholds (5.16.23, 5.23.22, or 5.32.22 depending on the kernel branch), and the HddPassword component is present, the system is affected by this SMM privilege escalation vulnerability.

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 5.16.23 / 5.23.22 / 5.32.22 or later
Fixed in 5.16.235.23.225.32.22
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied firmware update: kernel 5.1 to 05.16.23, 5.2 to 05.26.23, 5.3 to 05.35.23, 5.4 to 05.43.22, or 5.5 to 05.51.22 or later. This is a critical SMM privilege escalation bug requiring firmware-level remediation.

Recommended fix High confidence

InsydeH2O kernel 5.1: upgrade to >=05.16.23; kernel 5.2: upgrade to >=05.26.23; kernel 5.3: upgrade to >=05.35.23; kernel 5.4: upgrade to >=05.43.22; kernel 5.5: upgrade to >=05.51.22

  1. 1. Identify the InsydeH2O firmware version currently installed on the affected system (check BIOS setup or system information)
  2. 2. Identify the specific kernel version (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, or 5.5) of the InsydeH2O firmware
  3. 3. Download the updated InsydeH2O firmware from the system manufacturer's support website (OEM/vendor that integrated InsydeH2O)
  4. 4. Apply the firmware update following the OEM's standard BIOS/firmware update process (typically via BIOS update utility, USB flash, or in-OS update tool)
  5. 5. Verify the firmware version has been updated to the fixed release or later after the update completes
Caveat Firmware updates carry inherent risks including potential bricking if interrupted; ensure stable power and follow OEM update instructions precisely; some updates may reset BIOS settings to defaults

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

Fix this in Insydeh2o Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
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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-2021-43615 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