# CVE-2021-0190: Privilege escalation in Intel(R) Processors

> A privileged local attacker can exploit an uncaught exception in Intel processor BIOS firmware to escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 12 May 2022
- **Updated:** 5 May 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-29cj-vw65-6494

## What is CVE-2021-0190?

CVE-2021-0190 is a high-severity vulnerability in Intel(R) Processors, published on 12 May 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Uncaught exception in the BIOS firmware for some Intel(R) Processors may allow a privileged user to potentially enable aescalation of privilege via local access.

Weakness: CWE-755 (Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-0190?

It affects 53 products.


Products: Intel Core I9-10900x Firmware, Intel Core I9-10920x Firmware, Intel Core I9-10940x Firmware, Intel Core I9-10980xe Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-1603 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-1607 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-1620 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-1630 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-1650 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-1660 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-1680 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-2603 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-2608l V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-2609 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-2618l V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-2620 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-2623 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-2628l V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-2630 V4 Firmware, Intel Xeon E5-2630l V4 Firmware and 33 more.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-0190?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-0190 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-0190 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-0190 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Intel(R) Processors

- [CVE-2021-0153](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-0153/): Memory corruption in Intel(R) Processors (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-0190 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-0190 is a high-severity vulnerability in Intel(R) Processors, published on 12 May 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-0190 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Intel(R) Processors. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-0190/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-0190/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-0190
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-0190
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-0190

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-0190/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.