DSA-2021-128: Dell PowerFlex Appliance Security Update for VMware vCenter Server Component Vulnerabilities
Summary: Dell PowerFlex Appliance remediation is available for VMware vCenter Server that may be exploited by malicious users to compromise the affected system.
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.
Impact
Critical
Details
| Third-party Component |
CVEs | More information |
| VMware vCenter Server | CVE-2021-21985 | VMSA-2021-0010 |
| CVE-2021-21986 |
| Third-party Component |
CVEs | More information |
| VMware vCenter Server | CVE-2021-21985 | VMSA-2021-0010 |
| CVE-2021-21986 |
Affected Products & Remediation
| CVEs Addressed | Product | Affected Versions | Updated Versions | Link to Update |
| CVE-2021-21985 CVE-2021-21986 |
PowerFlex Appliance | Versions before Intelligent_Catalog_37_361_00_r14, Versions before Intelligent_Catalog_37_355_00_r16 | Intelligent_Catalog_37_361_00_r14, Intelligent_Catalog_37_355_00_r16 | For IC downloads: https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/vxflex-appliance-sw/drivers |
| CVEs Addressed | Product | Affected Versions | Updated Versions | Link to Update |
| CVE-2021-21985 CVE-2021-21986 |
PowerFlex Appliance | Versions before Intelligent_Catalog_37_361_00_r14, Versions before Intelligent_Catalog_37_355_00_r16 | Intelligent_Catalog_37_361_00_r14, Intelligent_Catalog_37_355_00_r16 | For IC downloads: https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/vxflex-appliance-sw/drivers |
Workarounds & Mitigations
PowerFlex Appliance includes the updated vCenter versions containing the remediation in an upcoming release update. In the meantime, the following workaround is recommended for PowerFlex Appliance customers.
VMware’s recommended workaround is to temporarily disable the “VMware vSAN H5 client plug-in” for vCenter Server.
The procedure to disable the plug-in is outlined in the VMware KB article: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/83829
Note:
- The workaround is expected to be a temporary mitigation until the updated release is available.
- Changes in the workaround must be reverted after applying the vCenter update. Procedure to revert the changes is outlined in https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/83829.
- vSAN continues to function as expected, and vSAN related alarms continue to trigger for any events in the environment. These features are not dependent on the vSAN H5 plug-in.
- The vSAN sections in the Monitoring and Configuration tabs in the vCenter UI are unavailable, and thus you cannot change the existing vSAN configuration.
- The Skyline/vSAN Health UI interface is unavailable but the underlying logic monitoring the environment is still functional.
- If there is a critical issue with vSAN, then the plug-in may need to be temporarily enabled to assist with troubleshooting and quicker resolution. When the issue is addressed, the plug-in can be disabled again. In this scenario, vCenter is exposed to the vulnerability as described in VMSA-2021-0010 while the plug-in is enabled.
https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2021/05/vmsa-2021-0010.html
Revision History
| Revision | Date | Description |
| 1.0 | 2021-06-14 | Initial release - Workarounds and Mitigations |
| 2.0 | 2021-07-13 | Updated Affected Products and Remediation section to add Affected versions, Updated versions, and Link to Update information. |
Related Information
Legal Disclaimer
Affected Products
PowerFlex Appliance, Product Security Information, PowerFlex appliance R640, PowerFlex appliance R740XD, PowerFlex appliance R840Article Properties
Article Number: 000188318
Article Type: Dell Security Advisory
Last Modified: 18 Sep 2025
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