CVE-2021-26248
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 · uneditedPhilips MRI 1.5T and MRI 3T Version 5.3 through 5.8.1 does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.
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 confidenceThis is an improper access control vulnerability in Philips MRI 1.5T and 3T scanners running software versions 5.3 through 5.8.1. The device fails to properly restrict access to sensitive resources, potentially allowing unauthorized actors to interact with the MRI system over the network.
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>= 5.0.0, < 6.0.0>= 5.0.0, < 6.0.0CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 MRI scanner modelAccess the system information or admin interface of the MRI device and confirm it is a Philips MRI 1.5T or 3T scannerAffected if The device is not a Philips MRI 1.5T or 3T scanner, then this CVE does not apply
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Check the installed firmware versionNavigate to the system settings, diagnostics, or service interface of the Philips MRI scanner and locate the firmware version informationAffected if The firmware version cannot be determined or the device does not expose version information through its interface
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Compare firmware to affected rangeVerify if the installed firmware version falls within >= 5.0.0 and < 6.0.0Affected if The installed firmware version is 5.0.0, 5.1.x, 5.2.x, 5.3.x, 5.4.x, 5.5.x, 5.6.x, 5.7.x, 5.8.x, or 5.9.x - any version 5.x up to but not including 6.0.0 is affected
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Confirm network accessibilityVerify that the MRI scanner has network connectivity enabled and is accessible on the hospital or facility networkAffected if The scanner is network-connected and reachable from network segments accessible to unauthorized actors, which would allow exploitation of the access control flaw
A user is affected if they have a Philips MRI 1.5T or 3T scanner with firmware version 5.0.0 through 5.9.x that is network-accessible.
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 data6.0.0
Contact Philips for the appropriate firmware/software update to address this access control issue. Implement network segmentation and access controls to isolate MRI devices from unauthorized network segments as a compensating control until the vendor patch is applied.
- Consultation12.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $13,632.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-26248 — 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-2021-26248 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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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.
- 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