CVE-2021-0147 is a vulnerability identified in certain Intel Chipset firmware versions, specifically in the Power Management Controller (PMC) firmware prior to versions pmc_fw_lbg_c1-21ww02a and pmc_fw_lbg_b0-21ww02a. The flaw arises from improper locking mechanisms within the PMC firmware, which is responsible for managing power-related functions on Intel chipsets. This improper locking can be exploited by a privileged local user to trigger a denial of service (DoS) condition. The vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity but impacts availability by potentially causing the system or chipset to become unresponsive or unstable. Exploitation requires local access with high privileges, meaning an attacker must already have elevated permissions on the affected system. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-667 (Improper Locking), indicating synchronization issues that can lead to race conditions or resource conflicts. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 4.4 (medium severity), reflecting the limited attack vector (local), the need for privileges, and the impact limited to availability. There are no known exploits in the wild, and no public patches are explicitly linked in the provided data, though Intel firmware updates addressing this issue exist. The vulnerability is relevant to systems using affected Intel chipset firmware versions, which are common in many enterprise and consumer devices, especially those relying on Intel processors with integrated chipset controllers.

For European organizations, the primary impact of CVE-2021-0147 is the potential for local denial of service on systems running vulnerable Intel chipset firmware. This could disrupt critical business operations, especially in environments where uptime and system availability are crucial, such as data centers, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and industrial control systems. Since exploitation requires privileged local access, the risk is heightened in scenarios where insider threats or lateral movement by attackers within a network are possible. The DoS condition could lead to system crashes or reboots, causing downtime, loss of productivity, and potential cascading effects on dependent services. Although the vulnerability does not directly compromise data confidentiality or integrity, availability disruptions can indirectly affect business continuity and service level agreements. European organizations with large deployments of Intel-based hardware, particularly those that have not applied firmware updates, are at risk. The lack of known exploits in the wild reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate the risk, especially as attackers may develop exploits targeting this vulnerability in the future.

To mitigate CVE-2021-0147, European organizations should prioritize the following actions: 1) Identify and inventory all systems using Intel chipsets potentially affected by this firmware vulnerability. 2) Apply the latest Intel firmware updates that address this issue; coordinate with hardware vendors and OEMs to obtain and deploy updated PMC firmware versions pmc_fw_lbg_c1-21ww02a or later. 3) Restrict and monitor privileged local access to systems, enforcing the principle of least privilege to reduce the risk of exploitation by insiders or compromised accounts. 4) Implement robust endpoint security controls to detect and prevent unauthorized privilege escalation or lateral movement within networks. 5) Incorporate this vulnerability into vulnerability management and patch management workflows to ensure timely remediation. 6) Conduct regular system stability and availability monitoring to detect anomalous behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. 7) Educate system administrators and security teams about the nature of this vulnerability and the importance of firmware updates, as firmware-level issues are often overlooked compared to OS or application patches.