# CVE-2021-43613: SysPasswordDxe: Password hashes are exposed in runtime UEFI variables, leading to escalation of privilege

> Attackers can read password hashes from UEFI variables to escalate privileges on devices using InsydeH2O firmware.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **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:** 3 Sep 2026
- **Updated:** 3 Sep 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3xmc-3p6h-5px7

## What is CVE-2021-43613?

CVE-2021-43613 is a medium-severity vulnerability in InsydeH2O, published on 3 Sep 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in SysPasswordDxe in Insyde InsydeH2O. User and administrator password hashes are exposed in runtime UEFI variables, leading to escalation of privilege

Weakness: CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-43613?


## How do I fix CVE-2021-43613?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-43613 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-43613 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-43613 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-43613 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-43613 is a medium-severity vulnerability in InsydeH2O, published on 3 Sep 2026. 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-2021-43613 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: InsydeH2O. 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-2021-43613/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43613/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-43613
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-43613
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-43613

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43613/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.