CVE-2021-3439

7.8 HIGH

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a BIOS firmware vulnerability in certain HP Workstation products that could allow local attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The vulnerability affects physical access scenarios where an attacker can interact with the system firmware. HP has released firmware updates to address this potential security issue.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:
  • HP Z2 Small Form Factor G4 Workstation
  • HP Z2 Tower G4 Workstation
  • HP Z4 G4 Workstation
Versions: BIOS versions prior to 02.05.05 Rev.A
Operating Systems: All operating systems running on affected hardware
Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes
Notes: Only affects specific HP Workstation models with vulnerable BIOS firmware versions. Requires physical access or local administrative privileges.

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

An attacker with physical access could gain persistent control over the system by flashing malicious firmware, potentially creating an undetectable backdoor that survives OS reinstallation.

🟠

Likely Case

Local attacker with physical access could bypass security controls, install malware, or extract sensitive data from the system.

🟢

If Mitigated

With proper physical security controls and updated firmware, the risk is significantly reduced to authorized firmware updates only.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This requires physical access or local administrative access to exploit.
🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal attackers with physical access or local admin privileges could exploit this vulnerability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No
Weaponized: UNKNOWN
Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No
Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires physical access or local administrative privileges. No public exploit code has been identified.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: BIOS version 02.05.05 Rev.A or later

Vendor Advisory: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_3982318-3982351-16/hpsbhf03735

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download the BIOS update from HP Support website. 2. Run the BIOS update utility. 3. Follow on-screen instructions to complete the update. 4. System will restart automatically to apply the firmware update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Physical Security Controls

all

Implement strict physical access controls to prevent unauthorized access to workstations.

BIOS Password Protection

all

Enable BIOS/UEFI password protection to restrict firmware modification.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

  • Implement strict physical security controls and limit physical access to affected systems
  • Enable BIOS password protection and secure boot features to restrict firmware modifications

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check BIOS version in system information (F10 during boot) or using HP BIOS Configuration Utility. Compare against vulnerable versions.

Check Version:

Windows: wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion
Linux: sudo dmidecode -s bios-version

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify BIOS version is 02.05.05 Rev.A or later in system BIOS settings.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

  • BIOS/UEFI firmware modification events
  • Unauthorized physical access attempts
  • Failed BIOS password attempts

Network Indicators:

  • Unusual firmware update traffic from unauthorized sources

SIEM Query:

EventID=12 OR EventID=13 (System events for firmware changes) OR Physical security access logs showing unauthorized entry

🔗 References

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