Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets an attacker make a Dell iDRAC web application display attacker-chosen text through a malicious URL. The main business risk is phishing: administrators could be tricked into trusting a message that appears to come from iDRAC. The CVSS score is medium because exploitation requires user interaction and does not directly affect availability or confidentiality.
Executive priority
Treat this as a moderate management-plane phishing risk. It is not described as direct server compromise, but iDRAC is sensitive infrastructure. Prioritize patching exposed or widely accessible iDRAC interfaces and ensure administrators understand the social-engineering angle.
Technical view
CVE-2021-21580 is a content spoofing/text injection issue in Dell EMC iDRAC8 before 2.80.80.80 and iDRAC9 before 5.00.00.00. The CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N, indicating network reachability, no privileges, required user interaction, and limited integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant where iDRAC8 or iDRAC9 web interfaces are reachable by administrators or operators who may click external links. Internet-exposed management interfaces increase phishing opportunity, but internal-only iDRAC portals can still be affected if users receive malicious URLs.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not cite active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked as CISA KEV. The described attack depends on persuading a user to open a malicious URL, then abusing text injection to present a misleading message inside the application context.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports content spoofing/text injection, not remote code execution. The affected version bounds are clear for iDRAC8 and iDRAC9, but the provided bundle does not include model-level scope or detailed workaround text. Avoid assuming exploit availability without additional cited evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade iDRAC8 to 2.80.80.80 or later where applicable.
- Upgrade iDRAC9 to 5.00.00.00 or later where applicable.
- Restrict iDRAC management access to trusted administrative networks.
- Warn administrators not to trust unexpected iDRAC messages reached through external links.
- Check Dell advisory 000189193 for model-specific guidance.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Dell systems using iDRAC8 or iDRAC9.
- Confirm installed iDRAC firmware versions against the fixed versions.
- Review whether iDRAC interfaces are reachable from untrusted networks.
- Check user reports for unexpected iDRAC messages after following links.
- Verify remediation through firmware version evidence, not only asset tags.
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
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-21580 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 4.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N2.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
4.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000189193CVE 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 Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.