dbcve.org
Integrated Remote Access Controller FirmwareOperating system · Dell

CVE-2015-7271

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-04-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.20.20.20 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Dell Integrated Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) 7/8 before 2.21.21.21 has a format string issue in racadm getsystinfo.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A format string vulnerability exists in the racadm getsystinfo command of Dell iDRAC 7 and 8 versions before 2.21.21.21. Format string vulnerabilities allow attackers to read from or write to stack memory, potentially enabling remote code execution on the BMC.

MitigationUpgrade Dell iDRAC firmware to version 2.21.21.21 or later to remediate the format string vulnerability. For systems that cannot be immediately patched, restrict network access to the iDRAC management interface to trusted networks.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Integrated Remote Access Controller FirmwareOperating system
Affected:<= 2.20.20.20

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the iDRAC model
    Access the iDRAC web interface or use IPMI command 'ipmitool -I lanplus -H <iDRAC_IP> -U root mc info' to confirm the BMC is Dell iDRAC7 or iDRAC8
    Affected if The model is not iDRAC7 or iDRAC8 (different BMC models are not affected by this specific CVE)
  2. Check iDRAC firmware version
    Use the racadm command 'racadm -r <iDRAC_IP> -u root getversion' or view the firmware version in the iDRAC web interface under 'iDRAC Settings > Overview > Firmware'
    Affected if The firmware version is 2.20.20.20 or lower, or any version below 2.21.21.21 (the fixed release)
  3. Verify racadm tool is accessible
    Confirm the racadm utility is installed and can authenticate to the iDRAC management interface
    Affected if racadm tool is available and functional with valid credentials (this is required to trigger the vulnerable command)
  4. Test getsystinfo command availability
    Execute 'racadm -r <iDRAC_IP> -u root getsystinfo' to verify the command is present
    Affected if The command executes without error (indicating the vulnerable code path exists in this version)

A system is affected if it runs Dell iDRAC7 or iDRAC8 with firmware version 2.20.20.20 or lower (or any version prior to 2.21.21.21) and has network-accessible racadm with the getsystinfo command available.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.20.20.20
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Dell iDRAC firmware to version 2.21.21.21 or later to remediate the format string vulnerability. For systems that cannot be immediately patched, restrict network access to the iDRAC management interface to trusted networks.

Recommended fix High confidence

iDRAC Firmware 2.21.21.21 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current iDRAC firmware version by running 'racadm getversion' or accessing iDRAC web interface under Dashboard > Firmware Info
  2. 2. Download the latest iDRAC firmware version 2.21.21.21 or later from Dell support site (support.dell.com) for your specific server model
  3. 3. If the system is under warranty or has iDRAC Service Module installed, use the iDRAC web interface: navigate to Maintenance > System Update > Firmware Update and upload the firmware image
  4. 4. Alternatively, use racadm command line: 'racadm fwupdate -g -u -a <firmware_image_path>'
  5. 5. Alternatively, use Dell Update Package (DUP) from operating system: run the iDRAC firmware DUP with appropriate privileges
  6. 6. Wait for firmware upload completion and automatic reboot cycle (this may take 10-15 minutes)
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking iDRAC firmware version again confirms 2.21.21.21 or later
  8. 8. Validate that the racadm getsystinfo command no longer exhibits format string vulnerability
Caveat Firmware updates may require server downtime; ensure backup of iDRAC configuration and verify compatibility with other firmware components before applying

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Integrated Remote Access Controller Firmware Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,800
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,880.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-7271 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-7271 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data