DSA-2021-121: Dell Client Platform Security Update for BIOS Vulnerabilities

Summary: Dell Client BIOS remediation is available for multiple security vulnerabilities in the BIOS that may be exploited by malicious users to compromise the affected systems.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Check out other resources

Impact

High

Details

Proprietary Code CVEs
 		 Description CVSS Base Score CVSS Vector String
CVE-2021-21554
  • Dell PowerEdge R640, R740, R740XD, R840, R940, R940xa, MX740c, MX840c, and, Dell Precision 7920 Rack Workstation BIOS contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in systems with Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory installed. 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 UEFI or BIOS Preboot Environment.
 6.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
CVE-2021-21557
  • Dell PowerEdge Server 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.
 8.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L
Proprietary Code CVEs
 		 Description CVSS Base Score CVSS Vector String
CVE-2021-21554
  • Dell PowerEdge R640, R740, R740XD, R840, R940, R940xa, MX740c, MX840c, and, Dell Precision 7920 Rack Workstation BIOS contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in systems with Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory installed. 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 UEFI or BIOS Preboot Environment.
 6.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L
CVE-2021-21557
  • Dell PowerEdge Server 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.
 8.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:L
Dell Technologies recommends all customers consider both the CVSS base score and any relevant temporal and environmental scores that may impact the potential severity associated with a particular security vulnerability.

Affected Products & Remediation

Product Update Version (or later) Release Date (MM/DD/YYYY)
Precision 7910 Rack 2.11.2 (addresses CVE-2021-21557) 06/07/2021
Precision 7920 Rack 2.11.2 (addresses CVE-2021-21557 and CVE-2021-21554)
2.9.4 (addresses CVE-2021-21554)
 		 06/07/2021 (2.11.2)
02/12/2021 (2.9.4)
 

Note:
  • The table above may not be a comprehensive list of all affected supported versions and may be updated as more information becomes available.
Product Update Version (or later) Release Date (MM/DD/YYYY)
Precision 7910 Rack 2.11.2 (addresses CVE-2021-21557) 06/07/2021
Precision 7920 Rack 2.11.2 (addresses CVE-2021-21557 and CVE-2021-21554)
2.9.4 (addresses CVE-2021-21554)
 		 06/07/2021 (2.11.2)
02/12/2021 (2.9.4)
 

Note:
  • The table above may not be a comprehensive list of all affected supported versions and may be updated as more information becomes available.

Revision History

RevisionDateDescription
1.02021-06-10Initial release

Acknowledgements

Dell Technologies would like to thank Alexander Tereshkin and Alexander Matrosov of NVIDIA Product Security Team for reporting these issues.
 

Related Information

Dell Security Advisories and Notices
Dell Vulnerability Response Policy
CVSS Scoring Guide

Legal Disclaimer

Affected Products

Precision 7920 Rack, Precision Rack 7910

Products

Product Security Information
Article Properties
Article Number: 000188134
Article Type: Dell Security Advisory
Last Modified: 18 Sept 2025
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.