Cyber Resilience

CVE-2021-27562

Memory Safety in Trustedfirmware Trusted Firmware-M ≤ 1.2.0

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedMemory Safety
Published
25 May 2021
Modified
05 June 2026
KEV Added
03 November 2021
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 5.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS Score 0.031 87th percentile
Risk Priority 75 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2021-27562 is a medium-severity Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787) vulnerability in Trustedfirmware Trusted Firmware-M. Its CVSS base score is 5.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked in the top 13% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

Arm Trusted Firmware M through version 1.2 contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability (CWE-787) that manifests when non-secure world code invokes secure functions while executing in NSPE handler mode. The flaw allows the non-secure caller to trigger a system halt, corrupt secure memory regions, or cause secure data to be printed to non-secure outputs.

A local attacker with low privileges in the non-secure world can exploit the issue by crafting calls to secure services under handler mode, resulting in denial of service or leakage and modification of protected assets. The CVSS 5.5 vector reflects local access, low attack complexity, and a primary impact on availability with secondary risks to confidentiality and integrity.

Arm security advisories and the TF-M project advisory on svc_caller_sp_fetching_vulnerability describe the defect and direct users to patched firmware releases. The vulnerability is also catalogued in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list, indicating confirmed in-the-wild exploitation against affected devices.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

In Arm Trusted Firmware M through 1.2, the NS world may trigger a system halt, an overwrite of secure data, or the printing out of secure data when calling secure functions under the NSPE handler mode.

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
03 November 2021

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1211 Exploitation for Stealth Stealth
Adversaries may exploit vulnerabilities to evade detection by hiding activity, suppressing logging, or operating within trusted or unmonitored components.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-49195Same vendor: Trustedfirmware
CVE-2020-0986Shared CWE-787both on KEV
CVE-2021-30761Shared CWE-787both on KEV
CVE-2015-2424Shared CWE-787both on KEV
CVE-2024-4761Shared CWE-787both on KEV
CVE-2014-4404Shared CWE-787both on KEV
CVE-2021-21220Shared CWE-787both on KEV
CVE-2022-22587Shared CWE-787both on KEV
CVE-2015-1641Shared CWE-787both on KEV
CVE-2016-7200Shared CWE-787both on KEV

Affected Assets

trustedfirmware
trusted firmware-m
≤ 1.2.0

Mitigating Controls

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-787

Out-of-bounds writes that corrupt control flow or inject shellcode are rendered non-executable by the same memory protections.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure-development practices (static analysis, bounds checking, code review) are the primary means of preventing out-of-bounds writes.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover out-of-bounds write flaws so they can be remediated.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software directly eliminates known instances of this coding weakness.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing in development and acceptance can detect and prevent out-of-bounds write defects.

prevents

Secure development life cycle mandates practices that prevent out-of-bounds writes.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify bounds-checking and safe memory handling.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles reduce the likelihood of buffer overflows.

prevents

Secure coding directly addresses out-of-bounds writes through language choice and coding standards.

prevents

Change management can enforce review gates that catch unsafe memory operations before deployment.

References