Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue can expose user credentials through log files in Dell EMC Data Protection Search and IDPA. An attacker already on the system with low local privileges could use those credentials to access the application as the compromised account, creating a serious business risk if backup or protection data is involved.
Executive priority
Treat as high priority for environments using affected Dell data protection products, especially where shared local access exists. Credential exposure in backup infrastructure can expand attacker reach.
Technical view
CVE-2021-21601 is a CWE-532 information exposure vulnerability in CIS log files affecting Dell EMC Data Protection Search 19.4 and prior and IDPA 2.6.1 and prior. The CVSS 3.1 score is 8.8 with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, changed scope, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where affected Dell EMC Data Protection Search or IDPA versions are deployed and low-privileged local users exist on the appliance or host.
Exploitation context
The provided sources describe local exploitation by a low-privileged attacker. CISA KEV status is false, and the bundle provides no evidence of active exploitation or public exploit use.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record details and Dell advisory reference. The bundle does not include patch version specifics, exploit artifacts, or proof of active exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Review Dell advisory 000189555 for vendor-approved updates or mitigations.
- Upgrade affected Dell EMC Data Protection Search and IDPA deployments if Dell guidance provides fixed versions.
- Restrict local low-privileged access to affected systems to trusted operational users only.
- Rotate credentials that may have been exposed in CIS logs.
- Monitor application access using accounts that may have appeared in logs.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Dell EMC Data Protection Search and IDPA versions in production and backup environments.
- Compare deployed versions against 19.4 and prior or 2.6.1 and prior exposure ranges.
- Review Dell advisory 000189555 for exact affected and fixed version details.
- Check CIS logs for credential exposure without collecting or sharing sensitive values.
- Review authentication logs for unexpected access by potentially exposed accounts.
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-532: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. 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-2021-21601 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
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
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:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H26Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/000189555CVE 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.
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File
Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.