CVE-2024-21859
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 buffer restrictions in the UEFI firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may allow a privileged user to potentially enable information disclosure 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 confidenceThis is a buffer restriction vulnerability in the UEFI firmware of certain Intel processors. A privileged local user could exploit improper buffer handling to read sensitive information from memory that should not be accessible, potentially exposing secrets or configuration data.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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
- High
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/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 your Intel processor modelOn Linux, run `cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep 'model name'`. On Windows, run `wmic cpu get name`. On macOS, run `sysctl -n machdep.cpu.brand_string`.Affected if The processor is an Intel CPU whose UEFI firmware is known to have this buffer handling issue (compare against Intel's official advisory for CVE-2024-21859)
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Check the installed UEFI firmware versionOn Linux, run `dmidecode -s bios-version`. On Windows, run `wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion` or check in System Information (msinfo32). On macOS, check in System Information under Hardware > Boot ROM Version.Affected if The firmware version is older than the version that addresses CVE-2024-21859 in Intel's release notes
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Verify UEFI firmware vendor and release dateOn Linux, run `dmidecode -s bios-vendor` and `dmidecode -s bios-release-date`. On Windows, use `wmic bios get manufacturer,releasedate`. Compare the release date against Intel's patch release date for this CVE.Affected if The BIOS was released before Intel's fix date and the processor model matches affected Intel families
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Confirm if Intel SGX (Software Guard Extensions) or other memory isolation features are relevantOn Linux, check if SGX is available via `cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep sgx`. On Windows, use `msinfo32` to check SGX status. This vulnerability involves improper buffer handling that could expose memory regions that SGX normally protects.Affected if SGX or memory protection features are present and the firmware predates the patch
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Check system privilege levelThis vulnerability requires a privileged local user. Verify the threat model by checking logged-in users with `who` (Linux/macOS) or `query user` (Windows).Affected if Untrusted local users have privileged access to the system
Your system is likely affected if it runs an Intel processor with UEFI firmware older than Intel's patched version for CVE-2024-21859, especially if untrusted local users have privileged access.
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 dataApply the latest Intel processor firmware updates (UEFI/BIOS updates) from Intel's support website or through your system vendor's update channels.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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-2024-21859 — 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-2024-21859 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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