CVE-2021-21507

Vulnerability

Dell EMC Networking X-Series firmware versions prior to 3.0.1.8 and Dell PowerEdge VRTX Switch Module firmware versions prior to 2.0.0.82 contain a weak password encryption vulnerability. The affected components store user credentials using insufficiently strong encryption, making it possible for an attacker to reverse or decrypt the passwords. This vulnerability is present in the default configuration and does not require any special settings to be reachable [1].

Exploitation

A remote unauthenticated attacker can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted network requests to the vulnerable device. The attacker does not need prior authentication, user interaction, or any special network position beyond reachability to the management interface. The CVSS vector (AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) indicates the attack vector is adjacent network (AV:A), meaning the attacker must be on the same network segment as the target, but the attack complexity is low [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation leads to the disclosure of user credentials stored on the device. The attacker can then use the exposed credentials to log into the vulnerable system with the privileges of the compromised account. Since credentials for administrative accounts may be disclosed, the attacker could gain full administrative control, resulting in high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact [1].

Mitigation

Dell Technologies released firmware version 3.0.1.8 for X-Series and version 2.0.0.82 for PowerEdge VRTX Switch Module to remediate this issue. Customers should update to these fixed versions immediately. For information regarding the X-Series remediation, see KB article 185250 (DSA-2021-017). No workarounds have been disclosed. The vulnerability is not listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog as of the publication date [1].