CVE-2021-0144

Local privilege escalation via insecure DFT initialization

Published Jul 14, 2021 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Privilege escalation in Intel BIOS Shared Software Architecture BSSA DFT allows privileged local users to gain higher privileges. The customer build-time configuration initializes an unspecified DFT variable to an insecure default; Intel has not identified the variable or state transition. Exploitation requires existing privileged local access and high-complexity conditions, with resulting control across a security boundary.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.33%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Privilege escalation in Intel BIOS Shared Software Architecture BSSA DFT allows privileged local users to gain higher privileges. The customer build-time configuration initializes an unspecified DFT variable to an insecure default; Intel has not identified the variable or state transition. Exploitation requires existing privileged local access and high-complexity conditions, with resulting control across a security boundary.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-0144
Published
Jul 14, 2021
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Intel Corporation
Product
Intel BIOS Shared Software Architecture (BSSA) Design for Test (DFT)
Classifications
T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 14, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

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  1. Affected versionversion=See references

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Intel Corporation · Intel BIOS Shared Software Architecture (BSSA) Design for Test (DFT)version=See references

Published CVSS scores

7.5Intel CorporationCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.2NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
6.7NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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