HighCVE-2021-21572

    Dell BIOSConnect: Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CVE-2021-21572)

    Published Sources: SingCERT, CVE.org

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    What is affected, what to do

    Dell BIOSConnect feature contains a buffer overflow vulnerability. An authenticated malicious admin user with local access to the system may potentially exploit this vulnerability to run arbitrary code and bypass UEFI restrictions.

    Update Dell Alienware M15 R6 Firmware to version 1.3.3, Dell Chengming 3990 Firmware to version 1.4.1, Dell Chengming 3991 Firmware to version 1.4.1.

    Affected
    • Dell Alienware M15 R6 Firmware lt *..1.3.3
    • Dell Chengming 3990 Firmware lt *..1.4.1
    • Dell Chengming 3991 Firmware lt *..1.4.1
    • Dell G15 5510 Firmware lt *..1.4.0
    • Dell G15 5511 Firmware lt *..1.3.3
    • Dell G3 3500 Firmware lte *..1.9.0
    • Dell G5 5500 Firmware lt *..1.9.0
    • Dell G7 7500 Firmware lt *..1.9.0
    • Dell G7 7700 Firmware lt *..1.9.0
    • Dell Inspiron 14 5418 Firmware lt *..2.1.0_a06
    • Dell Inspiron 15 5518 Firmware lt *..2.1.0_a06
    • Dell Inspiron 15 7510 Firmware lt *..1.0.4
    • Dell Inspiron 3501 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Inspiron 3880 Firmware lt *..1.4.1
    • Dell Inspiron 3881 Firmware lt *..1.4.1
    • Dell Inspiron 3891 Firmware lt *..1.0.11
    • Dell Inspiron 5300 Firmware lt *..1.7.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5301 Firmware lt *..1.8.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5310 Firmware lt *..2.1.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5400 2-in-1 Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5400 Aio Firmware lt *..1.4.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5401 Firmware lt *..1.7.2
    • Dell Inspiron 5401 Aio Firmware lt *..1.4.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5402 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5406 2n1 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5408 Firmware lt *..1.7.2
    • Dell Inspiron 5409 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5410 2-in-1 Firmware lt *..2.1.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5501 Firmware lt *..1.7.2
    • Dell Inspiron 5502 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5508 Firmware lt *..1.7.2
    • Dell Inspiron 5509 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7300 Firmware lt *..1.8.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7300 2-in-1 Firmware lt *..1.3.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7306 2-in-1 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7400 Firmware lt *..1.8.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7500 Firmware lt *..1.8.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7500 2-in-1 Firmware lt *..1.3.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7501 Firmware lt *..1.8.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7506 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7610 Firmware lt *..1.0.4
    • Dell Inspiron 7700 Aio Firmware lt *..1.4.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7706 2-in-1 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Latitude 3120 Firmware lt *..1.1.0
    • Dell Latitude 3320 Firmware lt *..1.4.0
    • Dell Latitude 3410 Firmware lt *..1.9.0
    • Dell Latitude 3420 Firmware lt *..1.8.0
    • Dell Latitude 3510 Firmware lt *..1.9.0
    • Dell Latitude 3520 Firmware lt *..1.8.0
    • Dell Latitude 5310 Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 5310 2-in-1 Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 5320 Firmware lt *..1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 5320 2-in-1 Firmware lt *..1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 5410 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 5411 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 5420 Firmware lt *..1.8.0
    • Dell Latitude 5510 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 5511 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 5520 Firmware lt *..1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 5521 Firmware lt *..1.3.0_a03
    • Dell Latitude 7210 2-in-1 Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 7310 Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 7320 Firmware lt *..1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable Firmware lt *..1.4.0_a04
    • Dell Latitude 7410 Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 7420 Firmware lt *..1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 7520 Firmware lt *..1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 9410 Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 9420 Firmware lt *..1.4.1
    • Dell Latitude 9510 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 9520 Firmware lt *..1.5.2
    • Dell Latitude 5421 Firmware lt *..1.3.0_a03
    • Dell Optiplex 3080 Firmware lt *..2.1.1
    • Dell Optiplex 3090 Uff Firmware lt *..1.2.0
    • Dell Optiplex 3280 All-in-one Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Optiplex 5080 Firmware lt *..1.4.0
    • Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower Firmware lt *..1.1.35
    • Dell Optiplex 5490 Aio Firmware lt *..1.3.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7080 Firmware lt *..1.4.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7090 Tower Firmware lt *..1.1.35
    • Dell Optiplex 7090 Uff Firmware lt *..1.2.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7480 All-in-one Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7490 All-in-one Firmware lt *..1.3.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7780 All-in-one Firmware lt *..1.7.0
    • Dell Precision 17 M5750 Firmware lt *..1.8.2
    • Dell Precision 3440 Firmware lt *..1.4.0
    • Dell Precision 3450 Firmware lt *..1.1.35
    • Dell Precision 3550 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Precision 3551 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Precision 3560 Firmware lt *..1.7.1
    • Dell Precision 3561 Firmware lt *..1.3.0_a03
    • Dell Precision 3640 Firmware lt *..1.6.2
    • Dell Precision 3650 Mt Firmware lt *..1.2.0
    • Dell Precision 5550 Firmware lt *..1.8.1
    • Dell Precision 5560 Firmware lt *..1.3.2
    • Dell Precision 5760 Firmware lt *..1.1.3
    • Dell Precision 7550 Firmware lt *..1.8.0
    • Dell Precision 7560 Firmware lt *..1.1.2
    • Dell Precision 7750 Firmware lt *..1.8.0
    • Dell Precision 7760 Firmware lt *..1.1.2
    • Dell Vostro 14 5410 Firmware lt *..2.1.0_a06
    • Dell Vostro 15 5510 Firmware lt *..2.1.0_a06
    • Dell Vostro 15 7510 Firmware lt *..1.0.4
    • Dell Vostro 3400 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Vostro 3500 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Vostro 3501 Firmware lt *..1.6.0
    • Dell Vostro 3681 Firmware lt *..2.4.0
    • Dell Vostro 3690 Firmware lt *..1.0.11
    • Dell Vostro 3881 Firmware lt *..2.4.0
    • Dell Vostro 3888 Firmware lt *..2.4.0
    • Dell Vostro 3890 Firmware lt *..1.0.11
    • Dell Vostro 5300 Firmware lt *..1.7.1
    • Dell Vostro 5301 Firmware lt *..1.8.1
    • Dell Vostro 5310 Firmware lt *..2.1.0
    • Dell Vostro 5401 Firmware lt *..1.7.2
    • Dell Vostro 5402 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Vostro 5501 Firmware lt *..1.7.2
    • Dell Vostro 5502 Firmware lt *..1.5.1
    • Dell Vostro 5880 Firmware lt *..1.4.0
    • Dell Vostro 5890 Firmware lt *..1.0.11
    • Dell Vostro 7500 Firmware lt *..1.8.0
    • Dell Xps 13 9305 Firmware lt *..1.0.8
    • Dell Xps 13 2in1 9310 Firmware lt *..2.3.3
    • Dell Xps 13 9310 Firmware lt *..3.0.0
    • Dell Xps 15 9500 Firmware lt *..1.8.1
    • Dell Xps 15 9510 Firmware lt *..1.3.2
    • Dell Xps 17 9700 Firmware lt *..1.8.2
    • Dell Xps 17 9710 Firmware lt *..1.1.3
    Fixed in
    • Dell Alienware M15 R6 Firmware 1.3.3
    • Dell Chengming 3990 Firmware 1.4.1
    • Dell Chengming 3991 Firmware 1.4.1
    • Dell G15 5510 Firmware 1.4.0
    • Dell G15 5511 Firmware 1.3.3
    • Dell G5 5500 Firmware 1.9.0
    • Dell G7 7500 Firmware 1.9.0
    • Dell G7 7700 Firmware 1.9.0
    • Dell Inspiron 14 5418 Firmware 2.1.0_a06
    • Dell Inspiron 15 5518 Firmware 2.1.0_a06
    • Dell Inspiron 15 7510 Firmware 1.0.4
    • Dell Inspiron 3501 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Inspiron 3880 Firmware 1.4.1
    • Dell Inspiron 3881 Firmware 1.4.1
    • Dell Inspiron 3891 Firmware 1.0.11
    • Dell Inspiron 5300 Firmware 1.7.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5301 Firmware 1.8.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5310 Firmware 2.1.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5400 2-in-1 Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5400 Aio Firmware 1.4.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5401 Firmware 1.7.2
    • Dell Inspiron 5401 Aio Firmware 1.4.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5402 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5406 2n1 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5408 Firmware 1.7.2
    • Dell Inspiron 5409 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5410 2-in-1 Firmware 2.1.0
    • Dell Inspiron 5501 Firmware 1.7.2
    • Dell Inspiron 5502 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 5508 Firmware 1.7.2
    • Dell Inspiron 5509 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7300 Firmware 1.8.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7300 2-in-1 Firmware 1.3.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7306 2-in-1 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7400 Firmware 1.8.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7500 Firmware 1.8.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7500 2-in-1 Firmware 1.3.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7501 Firmware 1.8.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7506 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Inspiron 7610 Firmware 1.0.4
    • Dell Inspiron 7700 Aio Firmware 1.4.0
    • Dell Inspiron 7706 2-in-1 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Latitude 3120 Firmware 1.1.0
    • Dell Latitude 3320 Firmware 1.4.0
    • Dell Latitude 3410 Firmware 1.9.0
    • Dell Latitude 3420 Firmware 1.8.0
    • Dell Latitude 3510 Firmware 1.9.0
    • Dell Latitude 3520 Firmware 1.8.0
    • Dell Latitude 5310 Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 5310 2-in-1 Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 5320 Firmware 1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 5320 2-in-1 Firmware 1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 5410 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 5411 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 5420 Firmware 1.8.0
    • Dell Latitude 5510 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 5511 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 5520 Firmware 1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 5521 Firmware 1.3.0_a03
    • Dell Latitude 7210 2-in-1 Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 7310 Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 7320 Firmware 1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable Firmware 1.4.0_a04
    • Dell Latitude 7410 Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 7420 Firmware 1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 7520 Firmware 1.7.1
    • Dell Latitude 9410 Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Latitude 9420 Firmware 1.4.1
    • Dell Latitude 9510 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Latitude 9520 Firmware 1.5.2
    • Dell Latitude 5421 Firmware 1.3.0_a03
    • Dell Optiplex 3080 Firmware 2.1.1
    • Dell Optiplex 3090 Uff Firmware 1.2.0
    • Dell Optiplex 3280 All-in-one Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Optiplex 5080 Firmware 1.4.0
    • Dell Optiplex 5090 Tower Firmware 1.1.35
    • Dell Optiplex 5490 Aio Firmware 1.3.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7080 Firmware 1.4.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7090 Tower Firmware 1.1.35
    • Dell Optiplex 7090 Uff Firmware 1.2.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7480 All-in-one Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7490 All-in-one Firmware 1.3.0
    • Dell Optiplex 7780 All-in-one Firmware 1.7.0
    • Dell Precision 17 M5750 Firmware 1.8.2
    • Dell Precision 3440 Firmware 1.4.0
    • Dell Precision 3450 Firmware 1.1.35
    • Dell Precision 3550 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Precision 3551 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Precision 3560 Firmware 1.7.1
    • Dell Precision 3561 Firmware 1.3.0_a03
    • Dell Precision 3640 Firmware 1.6.2
    • Dell Precision 3650 Mt Firmware 1.2.0
    • Dell Precision 5550 Firmware 1.8.1
    • Dell Precision 5560 Firmware 1.3.2
    • Dell Precision 5760 Firmware 1.1.3
    • Dell Precision 7550 Firmware 1.8.0
    • Dell Precision 7560 Firmware 1.1.2
    • Dell Precision 7750 Firmware 1.8.0
    • Dell Precision 7760 Firmware 1.1.2
    • Dell Vostro 14 5410 Firmware 2.1.0_a06
    • Dell Vostro 15 5510 Firmware 2.1.0_a06
    • Dell Vostro 15 7510 Firmware 1.0.4
    • Dell Vostro 3400 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Vostro 3500 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Vostro 3501 Firmware 1.6.0
    • Dell Vostro 3681 Firmware 2.4.0
    • Dell Vostro 3690 Firmware 1.0.11
    • Dell Vostro 3881 Firmware 2.4.0
    • Dell Vostro 3888 Firmware 2.4.0
    • Dell Vostro 3890 Firmware 1.0.11
    • Dell Vostro 5300 Firmware 1.7.1
    • Dell Vostro 5301 Firmware 1.8.1
    • Dell Vostro 5310 Firmware 2.1.0
    • Dell Vostro 5401 Firmware 1.7.2
    • Dell Vostro 5402 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Vostro 5501 Firmware 1.7.2
    • Dell Vostro 5502 Firmware 1.5.1
    • Dell Vostro 5880 Firmware 1.4.0
    • Dell Vostro 5890 Firmware 1.0.11
    • Dell Vostro 7500 Firmware 1.8.0
    • Dell Xps 13 9305 Firmware 1.0.8
    • Dell Xps 13 2in1 9310 Firmware 2.3.3
    • Dell Xps 13 9310 Firmware 3.0.0
    • Dell Xps 15 9500 Firmware 1.8.1
    • Dell Xps 15 9510 Firmware 1.3.2
    • Dell Xps 17 9700 Firmware 1.8.2
    • Dell Xps 17 9710 Firmware 1.1.3

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    7.5

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: NVD, CVSS v3

    7.2

    CVSS v3

    Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: SingCERT, CVE.org

    0.3 %

    EPSS score

    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 18.3

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    High
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    38.66 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    no public PoC known
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    7.5 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    7.2
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    0.3 %
    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    18.3
    Elevated — this CVE ranks above at least 10% of all CVEs scored today.
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    —
    Published
    CWE

    CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.

    Read in glossary
    CWE-122

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    High technical severity: assess and remediate the vulnerability in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2 and document the decision.
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    From 11.12.2027, Annex I Part II CRA requires manufacturers of affected products with digital elements to handle vulnerabilities without delay and provide security updates.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    Dell BIOSConnect feature contains a buffer overflow vulnerability. An authenticated malicious admin user with local access to the system may potentially exploit this vulnerability to run arbitrary code and bypass UEFI restrictions.

    Source: CSA/SingCERT, NVD (NIST), cvelistv5

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    DellBIOSConnect
    • —
    • —

    Vendors and products

    Affected operating systems

    Affected operating systems
    Otherdellalienware_m15_r6_firmware—
    Otherdellchengming_3990_firmware—
    Otherdellchengming_3991_firmware—
    Otherdellg15_5510_firmware—
    Otherdellg15_5511_firmware—
    Otherdellg3_3500_firmware—
    Otherdellg5_5500_firmware—
    Otherdellg7_7500_firmware—
    Otherdellg7_7700_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_14_5418_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_15_5518_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_15_7510_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_3501_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_3880_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_3881_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_3891_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_5300_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_5301_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_5310_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_5400_2-in-1_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_5400_aio_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_5401_aio_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_5401_firmware—
    Otherdellinspiron_5402_firmware—

    Weakness classes (CWE)

    • CWE-122Heap-based Buffer Overflow

      Variant

      A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc().

      Entry at MITRE CWE-122

    References & sources

    • dell.comsupport/kbdoc/en-us/000188682x_refsource_MISC, Vendor advisory
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    Badge preview for CVE-2021-21572
    <a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2021-21572"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2021-21572.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2021-21572 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>