Is CVE-2021-21502 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2021-21502 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2021-21502 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2021-21502 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-21502?

CVE-2021-21502 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

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CRITICAL

CVE-2021-21502

CWE-287Published: February 9, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Dell PowerScale OneFS versions 8.1.0 – 9.1.0 contain a "use of SSH key past account expiration" vulnerability. A user on the network with the ISI_PRIV_AUTH_SSH RBAC privilege that has an expired account may potentially exploit this vulnerability, giving them access to the same things they had before account expiration. This may by a high privileged account and hence Dell recommends customers upgrade at the earliest opportunity.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-21502 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-287): Authentication bypass vulnerabilities allow attackers to access protected resources without valid credentials.