# CVE-2021-21551: Dell dbutil Driver Insufficient Access Control Vulnerability

Source: https://junglewise.ai/threats/cve-2021-21551-dell-dbutil-driver-insufficient-access-control-vulnerability  
Publisher: Junglewise Threat Intelligence, https://junglewise.ai/threats  
Published: 2022-03-31. Updated: 2026-05-10  
License: CC BY 4.0 with a link back

CVE-2021-21551 · Severity: critical · CVSS 8.8 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2022-03-31

The Dell dbutil_2_3.sys driver contains an insufficient access control vulnerability (exposed IOCTL). A local authenticated attacker can exploit this to escalate privileges, cause a denial-of-service, or disclose sensitive information.

Vendors: [Dell](https://junglewise.ai/threats/vendors/dell).

## Quick answers

**Is CVE-2021-21551 exploited in the wild?** Yes. CVE-2021-21551 is known to be exploited in the wild, first recorded on 31 March 2022. Treat it as urgent.

**How severe is CVE-2021-21551?** Critical severity, with a CVSS score of 8.8, published 31 March 2022.

**Which products and versions are affected?** Dell dbutil_2_3.sys driver up to (including) 2.3.

**Is there a fix for CVE-2021-21551?** No fixed version is recorded yet. Check the vendor's advisory in the references below. If you run it, Junglewise drafts a mitigation that fits your setup and applies it once you approve, with senior security engineers behind it.

**How is CVE-2021-21551 attacked?** It is attacked with local access, in a software library.

**Am I affected by CVE-2021-21551?** Check whether you run Dell dbutil Driver. Junglewise does that check for you around the clock: connect your code, cloud and domains, and it matches new vulnerabilities like this one against what you actually run and tells you when one reaches you.

## Affected products

- Dell dbutil_2_3.sys driver up to (including) 2.3

## Timeline

- 2022-03-31: disclosed
- 2022-03-31: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog