CVE-2021-21526 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Dell PowerScale OneFS 8.1.0 to 9.1.0 is affected by a privilege escalation vulnerability in SmartLock compliance mode, allowing unauthorized commands as root.

Understanding CVE-2021-21526

This CVE affects Dell's PowerScale OneFS versions 8.1.0 to 9.1.0, impacting security and potentially granting unauthorized access.

What is CVE-2021-21526?

The CVE-2021-21526 vulnerability found in Dell PowerScale OneFS 8.1.0 to 9.1.0 enables compadmins to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges.

The Impact of CVE-2021-21526

The impact allows threat actors to escalate privileges to root level, potentially compromising the entire system and data.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-21526

The vulnerability involves a privilege escalation in SmartLock compliance mode, posing a risk of unauthorized root access.

Vulnerability Description

The flaw enables compadmins to execute arbitrary commands as root, compromising the system's integrity and confidentiality.

Affected Systems and Versions

Dell's PowerScale OneFS versions 8.1.0 to 9.1.0 are affected by this vulnerability, potentially impacting systems using SmartLock compliance mode.

Exploitation Mechanism

By leveraging this vulnerability, threat actors can exploit SmartLock compliance mode to execute unauthorized commands as root.

Mitigation and Prevention

It's crucial to take immediate action to mitigate the risks posed by CVE-2021-21526.

Immediate Steps to Take

Immediately update Dell PowerScale OneFS to versions beyond 9.1.0 to eliminate the privilege escalation vulnerability.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor for security updates from Dell and implement best security practices to safeguard against similar vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Apply patches provided by Dell promptly to ensure comprehensive protection against CVE-2021-21526.