CVE-2021-21527
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 · uneditedDell PowerScale OneFS 8.1.0-9.1.0 contain an improper neutralization of special elements used in an OS command vulnerability. This vulnerability may allow an authenticated user with ISI_PRIV_LOGIN_SSH or ISI_PRIV_LOGIN_CONSOLE privileges to escalate privileges.
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 · moderate confidenceDell PowerScale OneFS versions 8.1.0 through 9.1.0 contain an OS command injection vulnerability due to improper neutralization of special elements in user input. An authenticated attacker with SSH or console login privileges (ISI_PRIV_LOGIN_SSH or ISI_PRIV_LOGIN_CONSOLE) can inject arbitrary OS commands to escalate privileges beyond their assigned authorization level.
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= 9.0.0.0= 9.1.0.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the PowerScale OneFS versionRun 'isi version' or check the web UI under Cluster > Management > Cluster Identity for the installed OneFS version numberAffected if The installed version falls within 8.1.0 through 9.1.0 (inclusive)
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Confirm SSH access is enabledRun 'isi network services ssh view' or check the web UI under Access > SSH to see if the SSH service is enabledAffected if SSH service is turned on and accessible
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Confirm console login is enabledRun 'isi auth privilege view' or check under Access > Console in the web UI to verify console login capability existsAffected if Console login (ISI_PRIV_LOGIN_CONSOLE) is permitted
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Identify users with SSH or console login privilegesRun 'isi auth roles' and review role definitions for members assigned ISI_PRIV_LOGIN_SSH or ISI_PRIV_LOGIN_CONSOLE privileges, or query with 'isi auth users -v'Affected if Any user accounts exist with these privilege levels beyond trusted administrators
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Review authentication and command logs for suspicious activityCheck /var/log/messages or the Security Events log for unexpected commands or privilege escalation attempts, especially from users with limited assigned rolesAffected if Unexpected commands or privilege escalation events are present in logs
A user is affected if their PowerScale OneFS version is between 8.1.0 and 9.1.0 inclusive AND SSH or console login is enabled with accounts possessing the vulnerable privilege flags.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply the vendor-provided security patch for CVE-2021-21527 from Dell. Until patched, strictly limit SSH and console access to only essential, highly trusted administrators and monitor for suspicious command activity.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,832.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21527 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-21527 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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