CVE-2021-3011
CWE-670Published: January 7, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
An electromagnetic-wave side-channel issue was discovered on NXP SmartMX / P5x security microcontrollers and A7x secure authentication microcontrollers, with CryptoLib through v2.9. It allows attackers to extract the ECDSA private key after extensive physical access (and consequently produce a clone). This was demonstrated on the Google Titan Security Key, based on an NXP A7005a chip. Other FIDO U2F security keys are also impacted (Yubico YubiKey Neo and Feitian K9, K13, K21, and K40) as well as several NXP JavaCard smartcards (J3A081, J2A081, J3A041, J3D145_M59, J2D145_M59, J3D120_M60, J3D082_M60, J2D120_M60, J2D082_M60, J3D081_M59, J2D081_M59, J3D081_M61, J2D081_M61, J3D081_M59_DF, J3D081_M61_DF, J3E081_M64, J3E081_M66, J2E081_M64, J3E041_M66, J3E016_M66, J3E016_M64, J3E041_M64, J3E145_M64, J3E120_M65, J3E082_M65, J2E145_M64, J2E120_M65, J2E082_M65, J3E081_M64_DF, J3E081_M66_DF, J3E041_M66_DF, J3E016_M66_DF, J3E041_M64_DF, and J3E016_M64_DF).
Technical Analysis
CVE-2021-3011 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.
A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), with a CVSS base score of 4.2.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (4)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-670)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2021-3011 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts