# CVE-2021-21557: Memory corruption in PowerEdge BIOS Intel 15G

> A local high-privilege attacker can exploit an out-of-bounds array access in Dell PowerEdge BIOS to cause denial of service, execute arbitrary code, or disclose information.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L`)
- **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:** 14 Jun 2021
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-66g6-48gr-pwpc

## What is CVE-2021-21557?

CVE-2021-21557 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Dell PowerEdge BIOS Intel 15G, published on 14 Jun 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Dell PowerEdge Server BIOS and select Dell Precision Rack BIOS contain an out-of-bounds array access vulnerability. A local malicious user with high privileges may potentially exploit this vulnerability, leading to a denial of service, arbitrary code execution, or information disclosure in System Management Mode.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read), CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-21557?

It affects 31 products.


Products: Dell Poweredge C4140 Firmware, Dell Poweredge C6420 Firmware, Dell Poweredge C6525 Firmware, Dell Poweredge Fc640 Firmware, Dell Poweredge M640 Firmware, Dell Poweredge M640p Firmware, Dell Poweredge Mx740c Firmware, Dell Poweredge Mx840c Firmware, Dell Poweredge R240 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R340 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R440 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R540 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R640 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R6415 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R6515 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R6525 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R740 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R740xd2 Firmware, Dell Poweredge R740xd Firmware, Dell Poweredge R7415 Firmware and 11 more.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-21557?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-21557 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-21557 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-21557 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-21557 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-21557 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Dell PowerEdge BIOS Intel 15G, published on 14 Jun 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-2021-21557 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Dell PowerEdge BIOS Intel 15G. 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-2021-21557/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21557/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-21557
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-21557
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-21557

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-21557/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.