How severe is CVE-2021-3453?

CVE-2021-3453 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-3453 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (13th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-3453?

CVE-2021-3453 primarily affects Lenovo Thinkpad Helix Firmware. In total, 21 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-3453?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-3453 published?

CVE-2021-3453 was published on 2021-07-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-3453

CVE-2021-3453 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Lenovo Thinkpad Helix Firmware with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-693.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.8)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (13th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-693
Affected product: Lenovo Thinkpad Helix Firmware
Published: 2021-07-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Some Lenovo Notebook, ThinkPad, and Lenovo Desktop systems have BIOS modules unprotected by Intel Boot Guard that could allow an attacker with physical access the ability to write to the SPI flash storage.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-3453?: Some Lenovo Notebook, ThinkPad, and Lenovo Desktop systems have BIOS modules unprotected by Intel Boot Guard that could allow an attacker with physical access the ability to write to the SPI flash storage.
How severe is CVE-2021-3453?: CVE-2021-3453 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-3453 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (13th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-3453?: CVE-2021-3453 primarily affects Lenovo Thinkpad Helix Firmware. In total, 21 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-3453?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-3453 published?: CVE-2021-3453 was published on 2021-07-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/product_security/LEN-65529

Affected products (21)

cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:thinkpad_helix_firmware:n17etb4w:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:thinkpad_t550_firmware:n11et53w:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:thinkpad_w550s_firmware:n11et53w:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:thinkpad_x1_carbon_3rd_gen_firmware:n14et55w:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:thinkpad_x250_firmware:n10et62w:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:thinkpad_yoga_15_firmware:n19et65w:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:730s-13iml_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:ideapad_1-11igl05_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:ideapad_1-14igl05_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:ideapad_s940-14iil_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:ideapad_s940-14iwl_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:ideapad_slim_1-11ast-05_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:ideapad_slim_1-14ast-05_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:v130-15igm_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:v330-15ikb_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:v330-15isk_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:yoga_s730-13iml_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:yoga_s940-14iil_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:yoga_s940-14iwl_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:ideacentre_aio_5-24imb05_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:lenovo:ideacentre_aio_5-74imb05_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Lenovo Thinkpad Helix Firmware

CVE-2019-6188 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The BIOS tamper detection mechanism was not triggered in Lenovo ThinkPad T460p, BIOS versions up to R07ET90W, and…
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CVE-2022-1107 — Medium (CVSS 6.7): During an internal product security audit a potential vulnerability due to use of Boot Services in the SmmOEMInt15 SMI…
CVE-2021-3599 — Medium (CVSS 6.7): A potential vulnerability in the SMI callback function used to access flash device in some ThinkPad models may allow an…
CVE-2020-8323 — Medium (CVSS 6.4): A potential vulnerability in the SMI callback function used in the Legacy SD driver in some Lenovo ThinkPad,…
CVE-2019-6172 — Medium (CVSS 6.4): A potential vulnerability in the SMI callback function used in Legacy USB driver using passed parameter without…

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