CVE-2021-39298 Privilege escalation in 2nd Gen EPYC

Medium 6.5 Published 16 Feb 2022 Updated 7 Oct 2026

High-privilege attackers can exploit AMD SMM handler flaws to execute arbitrary code and bypass UEFI security mechanisms.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: An administrator
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: A user has to click or open something
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2021-39298?

CVE-2021-39298 is a medium-severity vulnerability in AMD 2nd Gen EPYC, published on 16 Feb 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

A 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.

Weakness: CWE-269

Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-39298?

It affects 187 products.

Products include Hp 260 G3 Desktop Mini Pc Firmware, Hp Elite Dragonfly Firmware, Hp Elite Dragonfly G2 Firmware, Hp Elite Dragonfly Max Firmware, Hp Elite X2 1013 G3 Firmware, Hp Elite X2 G4 Firmware and 181 more.

How do I fix CVE-2021-39298?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-39298 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

Is CVE-2021-39298 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-39298 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-jxf5-m5fg-rw27.