Is CVE-2021-38489 exploited in the wild?

No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2021-38489 being exploited in the wild.

How severe is CVE-2021-38489?

High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.2, published 3 September 2026.

Which products and versions are affected?

InsydeH2O Kernel 5.1 before 05.17.03, Kernel 5.2 before 05.27.03, Kernel 5.3 before 05.36.03, Kernel 5.4 before 05.43.51, Kernel 5.5 before 05.51.51.

Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38489?

No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

How is CVE-2021-38489 attacked?

It is attacked with local access, in device firmware.

Am I affected by CVE-2021-38489?

Check whether you run InsydeH2O at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

CVE-2021-38489: Insyde InsydeH2O plaintext HDD password storage in UEFI variable

CVE-2021-38489 · Severity: high · CVSS 8.2 · Published 2026-09-03

Insyde InsydeH2O is firmware used in many enterprise and OEM systems to manage hardware initialization and security. A vulnerability allows high-privileged users to recover HDD passwords stored unencrypted in UEFI firmware variables, potentially exposing encrypted drives and sensitive data to physical attackers or privileged insiders with system access.

Technologies: InsydeH2O. Vendors: Insyde.

Quick answers

Is CVE-2021-38489 exploited in the wild?: No. Junglewise Threat Intelligence has no report of CVE-2021-38489 being exploited in the wild.
How severe is CVE-2021-38489?: High severity, with a CVSS score of 8.2, published 3 September 2026.
Which products and versions are affected?: InsydeH2O Kernel 5.1 before 05.17.03, Kernel 5.2 before 05.27.03, Kernel 5.3 before 05.36.03, Kernel 5.4 before 05.43.51, Kernel 5.5 before 05.51.51.
Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38489?: No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.
How is CVE-2021-38489 attacked?: It is attacked with local access, in device firmware.
Am I affected by CVE-2021-38489?: Check whether you run InsydeH2O at an affected version. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

Technical details

The vulnerability is a credentials exposure flaw in the HddPasswordPei driver of Insyde InsydeH2O firmware. HDD passwords are stored in plaintext within UEFI variables, accessible to users with high-level privileges. The attack vector is local with high privilege requirements; an attacker with elevated system access or physical access to the system can read UEFI variables to extract the HDD password in plaintext. Insyde released patches in February 2022 across multiple kernel versions (5.1 through 5.5), available in the security advisory INSYDE-SA-2022025.

Affected products

Insyde InsydeH2O Kernel 5.1 before 05.17.03, Kernel 5.2 before 05.27.03, Kernel 5.3 before 05.36.03, Kernel 5.4 before 05.43.51, Kernel 5.5 before 05.51.51

Timeline

2022-02-21: advisory: INSYDE-SA-2022025 published with patch information
2026-09-03: other: NVD entry published

References

https://www.insyde.com/security-pledge/sa-2022025/

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