CVE-2021-21551

Dell dbutil Driver Insufficient Access Control

8.8 HIGHActively exploited (CISA KEV)Public exploitEPSS 79.2%

Published4 May 2021
Added to CISA KEV31 Mar 2022
Remediation due21 Apr 2022

Description

Dell dbutil_2_3.sys driver contains an insufficient access control vulnerability which may lead to escalation of privileges, denial of service, or information disclosure. Local authenticated user access is required.

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorLocal

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredLow

User interactionNone

ScopeChanged

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

Dell Dbutil≤ 2.3

Remediation

No fixed version is recorded in the NVD data. Check the vendor advisory for the latest guidance.

Patch & vendor advisories

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000186019/dsa-2021-088-dell-client-platform-security-update-for-dell-driver-insufficient-access-control-vulnerability

References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162604/Dell-DBUtil_2_3.sys-IOCTL-Memory-Read-Write.htmlExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162739/DELL-dbutil_2_3.sys-2.3-Arbitrary-Write-Privilege-Escalation.htmlExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-21551US Government Resource
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000186019/dsa-2021-088-dell-client-platform-security-update-for-dell-driver-insufficient-access-control-vulnerabilityMitigationVendor Advisory

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2021-21551 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2021-21551 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 31 Mar 2022.

How severe is CVE-2021-21551?

CVE-2021-21551 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8, rated high. EPSS estimates a 79.2% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2021-21551?

Affected products include Dell Dbutil.

How do I fix CVE-2021-21551?

Apply the vendor's patch or advisory guidance, then verify no affected versions remain across your devices.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2021-21551 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, Secuno flags any affected asset as top-priority automatically. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.