Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Delta Electronics DIALink 1.2.4.0 and earlier may let a low-privileged local user change the installation folder and place malicious files there. For organizations using DIALink on industrial or engineering workstations, this can turn limited local access into full system compromise impact.
Executive priority
Treat this as a high-priority internal exposure issue where DIALink is deployed on operational workstations. It is not described as remotely exploitable, but it can materially increase damage after an attacker gains low-level local access.
Technical view
CVE-2021-38420 is a local privilege-related weakness caused by overly broad default permissions on the DIALink installation directory. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.8, with low attack complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on Windows systems where Delta Electronics DIALink 1.2.4.0 or earlier is installed and low-privileged users can log in or execute code locally. The provided data does not prove internet-exposed exploitation.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not list CISA KEV status or cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires local access with low privileges. The main concern is post-access escalation or persistence on systems running vulnerable DIALink installations.
Researcher notes
The available evidence identifies broad default permissions and CWE-427, but does not include detailed exploit mechanics or a confirmed patch level. Avoid assuming active exploitation, remote reachability, or specific payload behavior without additional vendor or CISA evidence.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory hosts running Delta Electronics DIALink and identify versions 1.2.4.0 or earlier.
- Review Delta and CISA advisory guidance before applying product-specific remediation.
- Restrict local interactive access to DIALink hosts to trusted administrators only.
- Review installation directory permissions and correct excessive low-privilege write access under change control.
- Monitor DIALink installation paths for unexpected file creation or modification.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether DIALink is installed and record the exact installed version.
- Check filesystem permissions on the DIALink installation directory for low-privilege write access.
- Verify whether non-administrative users can modify files in the installation path.
- Review endpoint telemetry for unusual file writes under the DIALink directory.
- Document affected hosts and remediation status for operational risk tracking.
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-427: 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-2021-38420 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
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-21-294-02CVE 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.
Uncontrolled Search Path Element
Uncontrolled Search Path Element represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.