Emc Unity Operating EnvironmentApplication · Dell

CVE-2021-36296

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.1.21.266 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 VNX2 OE for File versions 8.1.21.266 and earlier, contain an authenticated remote code execution vulnerability. A remote malicious user with privileges may exploit this vulnerability to execute commands on the system.

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 confidence

Dell VNX2 OE for File versions 8.1.21.266 and earlier contains an authenticated remote code execution vulnerability. A remote attacker with valid privileges can exploit this to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying system, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched Dell VNX2 OE version beyond 8.1.21.266. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to management interfaces and enforce least-privilege principles for authenticated users.

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
Emc Unity Operating EnvironmentApplication
Affected:<= 8.1.21.266

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the installed product
    Determine if the system is running Dell VNX2 OE for File or Dell EMC Unity Operating Environment. Check system documentation, about page, or login to the management interface to confirm the product name.
    Affected if The product is Dell VNX2 OE for File or Dell EMC Unity Operating Environment.
  2. Determine the installed version
    Access the management interface (navisphere or unisphere), navigate to the About or System Information section, and record the exact version number (for example, 8.1.21.266).
    Affected if The installed version is 8.1.21.266 or any earlier version.
  3. Verify version is within affected range
    Compare your installed version number to the affected range: any version <= 8.1.21.266 is vulnerable. Versions greater than 8.1.21.266 are not affected by this CVE.
    Affected if The version is 8.1.21.266 or earlier.
  4. Confirm management interface accessibility
    Verify whether the management interface (typically ports 443 or 8443 for web-based access) is exposed to the network. This check determines the potential attack surface.
    Affected if The management interface is network-accessible and the system is running a vulnerable version.

You are affected if the system runs Dell VNX2 OE for File or Dell EMC Unity Operating Environment version 8.1.21.266 or earlier and the management interface is accessible.

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 8.1.21.266
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched Dell VNX2 OE version beyond 8.1.21.266. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to management interfaces and enforce least-privilege principles for authenticated users.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Dell VNX2 OE for File version > 8.1.21.266 (contact Dell for specific fixed release)

  1. Contact Dell support or visit dell.com/support to obtain the latest available version of Dell VNX2 OE for File
  2. Request and apply the specific patch or upgrade that addresses CVE-2021-36296
  3. After upgrading, verify the system is running a version newer than 8.1.21.266
  4. Confirm the vulnerability is resolved by reviewing the patch release notes
Caveat Review Dell VNX2 OE for File release notes for any compatibility or migration considerations before upgrading

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

Fix this in Emc Unity Operating Environment Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,720
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $12,352.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-36296 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-36296 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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