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CVE-2021-38576

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty....

7.5 HighFix available

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty. This can be used to permanently brick the TPM in multiple ways, as well as to non-permanently DoS the system.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

1.25%Up 0.8 points since Jan 4, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 7.5

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty. This can be used to permanently brick the TPM in multiple ways, as well as to non-permanently DoS the system.

Record
CVE-2021-38576
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 2.0
7.8 HighAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty. This can be used to permanently brick the TPM in multiple ways, as well as to non-permanently DoS the system.

Record
CVE-2021-38576
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-25018 No score

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty. This can be used to permanently brick the TPM in multiple ways, as well as to non-permanently DoS the system.

Record
EUVD-2021-25018
Updated
2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-h53v-fr53-7vvj 7.5

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty....

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty. This can be used to permanently brick the TPM in multiple ways, as well as to non-permanently DoS the system.

Record
GHSA-h53v-fr53-7vvj
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.5

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty. This can be used to permanently brick the TPM in multiple ways, as well as to non-permanently DoS the system.

Record
CVE-2021-38576
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2021-38576 7.5

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty. This can be used to permanently brick the TPM in multiple ways, as well as to non-permanently DoS the system.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2021-38576
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVOESA-2022-1515 7.5

edk2 security update

EDK II is a modern, feature-rich, cross-platform firmware development environment for the UEFI and PI specifications.

Security Fix(es):

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty. This can be used to permanently brick the TPM in multiple ways, as well as to non-permanently DoS the system.(CVE-2021-38576)

Record
OESA-2022-1515
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2021-38576 7.5

A BIOS bug in firmware for a particular PC model leaves the Platform authorization value empty. This can be used to permanently brick the TPM in multiple ways, as well as to non-permanently DoS the system.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2021-38576
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
edk2
Debian:12
 before 2021.11-1
2021.11-1
edk2
Debian:13
 before 2021.11-1
2021.11-1
edk2
Debian:14
 before 2021.11-1
2021.11-1
edk2
Debian:11
From an advisory covering 16 CVEs
 before 2020.11-2+deb11u3, plus listed versions
2020.11-22020.11-2+deb11u12020.11-2+deb11u2
2020.11-2+deb11u3
edk2
openEuler:20.03-LTS-SP1
 before 202002-8.oe1
202002-8.oe1
edk2
openEuler:20.03-LTS-SP2
 before 202002-8.oe1
202002-8.oe1
edk2
openEuler:20.03-LTS-SP3
 before 202002-8.oe1
202002-8.oe1
edk2
Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
0~20150106.5c2d456b-20~20160104.c2a892d7-10~20160408.ffea0a2c-20~20160408.ffea0a2c-2ubuntu0.10~20160408.ffea0a2c-2ubuntu0.20~20160408.ffea0a2c-2ubuntu0.2+esm10~20160408.ffea0a2c-2ubuntu0.2+esm30~20160408.ffea0a2c-2ubuntu0.2+esm4
 None known
edk2
Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
0~20170911.5dfba97c-10~20171010.234dbcef-10~20171027.76fd5a66-10~20171205.a9212288-10~20180105.0bc94c74-1
Show 8 moreShow less
0~20180205.c0d9813c-10~20180205.c0d9813c-20~20180205.c0d9813c-2ubuntu0.10~20180205.c0d9813c-2ubuntu0.20~20180205.c0d9813c-2ubuntu0.30~20180205.c0d9813c-2ubuntu0.3+esm10~20180205.c0d9813c-2ubuntu0.3+esm20~20180205.c0d9813c-2ubuntu0.3+esm3
 None known
edk2
Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
0~20190606.20d2e5a1-2ubuntu10~20190828.37eef910-30~20190828.37eef910-40~20191122.bd85bf54-10~20191122.bd85bf54-1ubuntu1
Show 11 moreShow less
0~20191122.bd85bf54-20~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu10~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu20~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu30~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu3.10~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu3.20~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu3.30~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu3.40~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu3.50~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu3.60~20191122.bd85bf54-2ubuntu3.6+esm1
 None known

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, facts
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2021-38576 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Tianocore Edk Ii, published January 3, 2022. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.25%, the 69th percentile. Fixed in edk2 2021.11-1.

References

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