# CVE-2021-21522: Auth bypass in CPG BIOS

> A local attacker can reset the BIOS password via the Manageability Interface to access sensitive data on NVMe storage.

- **Severity:** High 8.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Sep 2021
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-pg87-v27x-wx62

## What is CVE-2021-21522?

CVE-2021-21522 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Dell Latitude 5290 2-in-1 Firmware, published on 28 Sep 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Dell BIOS contains a Credentials Management issue. A local authenticated malicious user may potentially exploit this vulnerability to gain access to sensitive information on an NVMe storage by resetting the BIOS password on the system via the Manageability Interface.

Weakness: CWE-255

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-21522?

It affects 28 products.


Products: Dell Latitude 5285 2-in-1 Firmware, Dell Latitude 5289 2-in-1 Firmware, Dell Latitude 5290 2-in-1 Firmware, Dell Latitude 5310 2-in-1 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7210 2-in-1 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7212 Rugged Extreme Tablet Firmware, Dell Latitude 7280 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7285 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7290 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7310 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7370 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7380 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7389 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7390 2-in-1 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7390 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7410 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7420 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7480 Firmware, Dell Latitude 7490 Firmware, Dell Latitude 9410 Firmware and 8 more.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-21522?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-21522 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-21522 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-21522 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-21522 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-21522 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Dell Latitude 5290 2-in-1 Firmware, published on 28 Sep 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-21522 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Dell Latitude 5290 2-in-1 Firmware. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21522/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21522/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-21522
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-21522
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-21522

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21522/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.