# CVE-2021-39299: Privilege escalation in BUSINESS NOTEBOOK PCS BIOS; BUSINESS DESKTOP PCS BIOS; RETAIL POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS BIOS; WORKSTATIONS BIOS

> Attackers can escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code via vulnerabilities in HP PC UEFI firmware, requiring firmware updates.

- **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:** 16 Feb 2022
- **Updated:** 7 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-6cjf-94vf-f544

## What is CVE-2021-39299?

CVE-2021-39299 is a high-severity vulnerability in BUSINESS NOTEBOOK PCS BIOS; BUSINESS DESKTOP PCS BIOS; RETAIL POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS BIOS; WORKSTATIONS BIOS, published on 16 Feb 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Potential vulnerabilities have been identified in UEFI firmware (BIOS) for some PC products which may allow escalation of privilege and arbitrary code execution.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-39299?

It affects 187 products.


Products: 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, Hp Elite X2 G8 Tablet Firmware, Hp Elitebook 1050 G1 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 830 G5 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 830 G6 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 830 G7 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 830 G8 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 836 G5 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 836 G6 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 840 Aero G8 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 840 G5 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 840 G5 Healthcare Edition Firmware, Hp Elitebook 840 G6 Firmware, Hp Elitebook 840 G6 Healthcare Edition Firmware, Hp Elitebook 840 G7 Firmware and 167 more.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-39299?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-39299 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-39299 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-39299 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in BUSINESS NOTEBOOK PCS BIOS; BUSINESS DESKTOP PCS BIOS; RETAIL POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS BIOS; WORKSTATIONS BIOS

- [CVE-2021-39297](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39297/): Privilege escalation in BUSINESS NOTEBOOK PCS BIOS; BUSINESS DESKTOP PCS BIOS; RETAIL POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS BIOS; WORKSTATIONS BIOS (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2021-39301](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39301/): Privilege escalation in BUSINESS NOTEBOOK PCS BIOS; BUSINESS DESKTOP PCS BIOS; RETAIL POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS BIOS; WORKSTATIONS BIOS (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2021-39300](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39300/): Privilege escalation in BUSINESS NOTEBOOK PCS BIOS; BUSINESS DESKTOP PCS BIOS; RETAIL POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS BIOS; WORKSTATIONS BIOS (high 7.3)
- [CVE-2021-39298](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39298/): Privilege escalation in 2nd Gen EPYC (medium 6.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-39299 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-39299 is a high-severity vulnerability in BUSINESS NOTEBOOK PCS BIOS; BUSINESS DESKTOP PCS BIOS; RETAIL POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS BIOS; WORKSTATIONS BIOS, published on 16 Feb 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-2021-39299 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: BUSINESS NOTEBOOK PCS BIOS; BUSINESS DESKTOP PCS BIOS; RETAIL POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS BIOS; WORKSTATIONS BIOS. 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-2021-39299/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39299/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-39299
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-39299
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-39299

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39299/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.