Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Dell EMC iDRAC9 before 4.40.10.00 has stored cross-site scripting flaws in certificate-generation functionality. A highly privileged authenticated user could save malicious browser content that later runs when another user views it. This is a management-plane issue, so business urgency depends on how broadly iDRAC is deployed and who can administer it.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for production server management controllers, shared administrator environments, and any iDRAC9 interfaces reachable beyond tightly controlled management networks. This is not a critical unauthenticated takeover based on provided evidence, but it affects privileged infrastructure administration workflows.
Technical view
CVE-2021-21542 is CWE-79 stored XSS in Dell EMC iDRAC9 versions prior to 4.40.10.00. The CVSS 3.1 score is 4.8 with network access, low complexity, high privileges required, user interaction required, changed scope, low confidentiality and integrity impact, and no availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to Dell EMC iDRAC9 installations running versions earlier than 4.40.10.00, especially where multiple high-privilege administrators can generate certificates. Internet exposure is not stated in the source bundle, so assess management-network reachability separately.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Exploitation requires a remote authenticated user with high privileges and a victim user viewing the stored content through the vulnerable iDRAC9 web application.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Dell reference. The bundle does not identify exact parameters, affected subversions beyond the version threshold, public exploit availability, or workarounds. Do not assume unauthenticated exploitation or active campaigns without additional sourced evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade affected iDRAC9 firmware to 4.40.10.00 or later where applicable.
- Review Dell advisory 000185293 for current vendor guidance.
- Restrict iDRAC9 administration to trusted networks and administrators.
- Review and reduce high-privilege iDRAC accounts where possible.
- Monitor iDRAC management activity for unexpected certificate-generation changes.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Dell EMC iDRAC9 assets and firmware versions.
- Confirm affected systems are not below 4.40.10.00.
- Identify who has high-privilege iDRAC administrative access.
- Review recent certificate-generation activity on affected systems.
- Verify management interfaces are not broadly reachable.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-21542 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe 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.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N1.72.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.8MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000185293CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.