CVE-2021-42554
CWE-787Published: February 3, 2022· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
An issue was discovered in Insyde InsydeH2O with Kernel 5.0 before 05.08.42, Kernel 5.1 before 05.16.42, Kernel 5.2 before 05.26.42, Kernel 5.3 before 05.35.42, Kernel 5.4 before 05.42.51, and Kernel 5.5 before 05.50.51. An SMM memory corruption vulnerability in FvbServicesRuntimeDxe allows a possible attacker to write fixed or predictable data to SMRAM. Exploiting this issue could lead to escalating privileges to SMM.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2021-42554 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires high privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.2.
The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.
From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-787): Out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities can lead to data corruption, crashes, or arbitrary code execution.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (9)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-787)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2021-42554 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts