Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2021-36286


Dell SupportAssist Client Consumer versions 3.9.13.0 and any versions prior to 3.9.13.0 contain an arbitrary file deletion vulnerability that can be exploited by using the Windows feature of NTFS called Symbolic links. Symbolic links can be created by any(non-privileged) user under some object directories, but by themselves are not sufficient to successfully escalate privileges. However, combining them with a different object, such as the NTFS junction point allows for the exploitation. Support assist clean files functionality do not distinguish junction points from the physical folder and proceeds to clean the target of the junction that allows nonprivileged users to create junction points and delete arbitrary files on the system which can be accessed only by the admin.


Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.1, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from dell organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Reported in 2021, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.


Published

2021-09-28T20:15:07.727

Last Modified

2024-11-21T06:13:25.770

Status

Modified

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 7.1 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:P

  • Access Vector: LOCAL
  • Access Complexity: LOW
  • Authentication: NONE
  • Confidentiality Impact: NONE
  • Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
  • Availability Impact: PARTIAL
Exploitability Score

3.9

Impact Score

4.9

Weaknesses
  • Type: Secondary
    CWE-22
  • Type: Primary
    CWE-59

Affected Vendors & Products
Type Vendor Product Version/Range Vulnerable?
Application dell supportassist_client_consumer ≤ 3.9.13.0 Yes

References

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For dell's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.