Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-46846 is a cross-site scripting flaw in HPE Integrated Lights-Out 5 before version 2.44. It matters because iLO is a server management interface; successful abuse could affect sensitive management sessions, but the CVSS data requires high privileges and user interaction.
Executive priority
Treat this as a controlled but important infrastructure maintenance item. Prioritize servers where iLO access is broadly reachable or supports sensitive workloads.
Technical view
The CVE describes CWE-79 cross-site scripting in HPE Integrated Lights-Out 5 prior to 2.44. CVSS 3.1 is 6.4: network reachable, low complexity, high privileges required, user interaction required, unchanged scope, with high confidentiality and integrity impact and low availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to organizations running HPE iLO 5 firmware earlier than 2.44, especially where the management interface is reachable by administrators over broad networks.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates exploitation needs an already highly privileged actor and a user interaction event, reducing mass-exploitation likelihood.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: the source bundle names XSS, affected product, version boundary, CWE, CVSS, and HPE advisory only. Do not assume a specific vulnerable parameter, exploit chain, or public exploit from these sources.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all HPE iLO 5 instances and firmware versions.
- Update affected iLO 5 firmware to 2.44 or later where applicable.
- Review the HPE advisory for environment-specific guidance.
- Restrict iLO management access to trusted administration networks.
- Monitor vendor channels for revised remediation details.
Validation and detection
- Confirm each iLO 5 device reports firmware version 2.44 or later.
- Verify no iLO 5 management interface is exposed unnecessarily.
- Review access logs for unusual privileged iLO activity.
- Confirm vulnerability tracking marks pre-2.44 devices as affected.
- Document any exceptions and compensating controls.
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-2021-46846 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
- 6.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
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:U/C:H/I:H/A:L0.95.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.4MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
Source materials
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.