CVE-2021-46846
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 · uneditedCross Site Scripting vulnerability in Hewlett Packard Enterprise Integrated Lights-Out 5.
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 confidenceCross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Hewlett Packard Enterprise Integrated Lights-Out 5 (iLO 5), a baseboard management controller firmware. The medium severity (CVSS 6.1) suggests a reflected or stored XSS allowing execution of malicious scripts in the context of the iLO web interface.
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< 2.44CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 iLO 5 firmware version via web interfaceLog in to the iLO 5 web interface and navigate to the Dashboard or Overview section to view the firmware version informationAffected if The displayed firmware version is below 2.44 (for example, 2.40, 2.30, etc.)
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Identify iLO 5 firmware version via iLO RESTful APIUse a REST client to query the iLO RESTful API at https://<ilo-ip>/redfish/v1/Managers/1, authenticate, and check the FirmwareVersion field in the responseAffected if The FirmwareVersion value returned is less than 2.44
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Identify iLO 5 firmware version via HPONCFGRun the HPONCFG utility (hp ilumolutils) from the host OS or via iLO SSH to retrieve the current iLO firmware versionAffected if The reported firmware version is less than 2.44
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Determine iLO web interface exposureCheck network accessibility of the iLO web interface port (typically 443 or 80) from untrusted networks using a port scan or network connectivity testAffected if The iLO web interface is reachable from untrusted networks and the firmware version is below 2.44
You are affected if your iLO 5 firmware version is below 2.44 and the web interface is 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.
dbcve · scoped2.44
Apply the latest HPE iLO 5 firmware update from Hewlett Packard Enterprise to address the XSS vulnerability. Validate that input sanitization and output encoding are properly implemented in the patched version.
iLO 5 Firmware version 2.44
- 1. Download the iLO 5 firmware version 2.44 or later from the official HPE support website (support.hpe.com)
- 2. Access the iLO 5 web interface using an administrator account
- 3. Navigate to the Firmware section under Administration
- 4. Upload the downloaded firmware file (.bin) and initiate the update
- 5. Wait for the firmware update to complete and for iLO to automatically reboot
- 6. Verify the firmware version has been updated to 2.44 or later by checking the iLO web interface or using the iLO RESTful API
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-46846 — 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-2021-46846 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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