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CVE Record

CVE-2021-21502: Dell PowerScale OneFS versions 8.1.0 – 9.1.0 contain a "use of SSH key past account expiration" vulnerability.

Dell PowerScale OneFS versions 8.1.0 – 9.1.0 contain a "use of SSH key past account expiration" vulnerability. A user on the network with the ISI_PRIV_AUTH_SSH RBAC privilege that has an expired account may potentially exploit this vulnerability, giving them access to the same things they had before account expiration. This may by a high privileged account and hence Dell recommends customers upgrade at the earliest opportunity.

CriticalCVSS 9.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysiscritical

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This flaw affects Dell PowerScale OneFS 8.1.0 through 9.1.0. An account that has expired may still be able to use SSH key access if it has the ISI_PRIV_AUTH_SSH privilege, keeping the same access it had before expiration. If that account was highly privileged, business impact could be severe.

Executive priority

High priority for storage environments. PowerScale systems often hold sensitive operational data, and retained privileged access after account expiration undermines offboarding and access governance controls.

Technical view

The issue is described as use of an SSH key past account expiration in Dell PowerScale OneFS. The source text says a network user with ISI_PRIV_AUTH_SSH RBAC privilege and an expired account may retain prior access. CVSS is 9.8 critical, although the narrative implies specific account privilege context.

Likely exposure

Organizations running Dell PowerScale OneFS versions 8.1.0 through 9.1.0 are potentially exposed, especially where SSH key authentication and privileged RBAC accounts are used. The bundle does not name other affected products.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing, active exploitation, public exploit availability, or exploitation in the wild. Treat exploitation status as unconfirmed from these sources.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Dell advisory reference. Note the tension between CVSS PR:N and the description requiring an expired account with ISI_PRIV_AUTH_SSH privilege. Do not assume unauthenticated exploitation without vendor confirmation.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify all Dell PowerScale OneFS systems and confirm installed versions.
  • Upgrade affected OneFS deployments according to Dell advisory DSA-2021-009.
  • Prioritize systems with SSH enabled and privileged RBAC users.
  • Review expired accounts and remove unneeded SSH key access where operationally approved.
  • Check Dell support guidance for fixed versions and any additional mitigations.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm whether any OneFS system runs version 8.1.0 through 9.1.0.
  • Review RBAC users with ISI_PRIV_AUTH_SSH privilege.
  • Check for expired accounts that still have SSH keys configured.
  • Verify upgraded systems no longer accept access from expired accounts.
  • Document exceptions and compensating controls for systems awaiting upgrade.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
3

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2021-21502 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Critical
CVSS
9.8 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
9.8CVSS 3.1CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

9.8Critical
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2021-21502Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
DellPowerScale OneFSunspecifiedListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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