How severe is CVE-2021-36297?

CVE-2021-36297 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-36297 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (37th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-36297?

CVE-2021-36297 affects Dell Supportassist For Home Pcs. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-36297?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2021-36297 published?

CVE-2021-36297 was published on 2021-09-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-36297

CVE-2021-36297 is a high-severity vulnerability in Dell Supportassist For Home Pcs with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-426.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 4.4
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (37th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-426
Affected product: Dell Supportassist For Home Pcs
Published: 2021-09-28
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

SupportAssist Client version 3.8 and 3.9 contains an Untrusted search path vulnerability that allows attackers to load an arbitrary .dll file via .dll planting/hijacking, only by a separate administrative action that is not a default part of the SOSInstallerTool.exe installation for executing arbitrary dll's,

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-36297?: SupportAssist Client version 3.8 and 3.9 contains an Untrusted search path vulnerability that allows attackers to load an arbitrary .dll file via .dll planting/hijacking, only by a separate administrative action that is not a default part of the SOSInstallerTool.exe installation for executing arbitrary dll's,
How severe is CVE-2021-36297?: CVE-2021-36297 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-36297 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (37th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-36297?: CVE-2021-36297 affects Dell Supportassist For Home Pcs. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-36297?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-36297 published?: CVE-2021-36297 was published on 2021-09-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000191057/dsa-2021-163-dell-supportassist-client-consumer-security-update-for-two-vulnerabilities

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:dell:supportassist_for_home_pcs:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Dell Supportassist For Home Pcs

CVE-2022-29095 — High (CVSS 8.3): Dell SupportAssist Client Consumer versions (3.10.4 and prior) and Dell SupportAssist Client Commercial versions (3.1.1…
CVE-2023-44283 — High (CVSS 7.8): In Dell SupportAssist for Home PCs (between v3.0 and v3.14.1) and SupportAssist for Business PCs (between v3.0 and…
CVE-2022-34384 — High (CVSS 7.8): Dell SupportAssist Client Consumer (version 3.11.1 and prior), SupportAssist Client Commercial (version 3.2 and prior),…
CVE-2022-29092 — High (CVSS 7.8): Dell SupportAssist Client Consumer versions (3.11.0 and versions prior) and Dell SupportAssist Client Commercial…
CVE-2020-5316 — High (CVSS 7.8): Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs versions 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and Dell SupportAssist for…
CVE-2021-21518 — High (CVSS 7.8): Dell SupportAssist Client for Consumer PCs versions 3.7.x, 3.6.x, 3.4.x, 3.3.x, Dell SupportAssist Client for Business…

All CVEs affecting Dell Supportassist For Home Pcs →

Other CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-45772 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Turborepo is a high-performance build system for JavaScript and TypeScript codebases. From 1.1.0 to before 2.9.14,…
CVE-2025-26155 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): NCP Secure Enterprise Client 13.18 and NCP Secure Entry Windows Client 13.19 have an Untrusted Search Path…
CVE-2024-53866 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The package manager pnpm prior to version 9.15.0 seems to mishandle overrides and global cache: Overrides from one…
CVE-2024-38462 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): iRODS before 4.3.2 provides an msiSendMail function with a problematic dependency on the mail binary, such as in the…
CVE-2023-30330 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): SoftExpert (SE) Excellence Suite 2.x versions before 2.1.3 is vulnerable to Local File Inclusion in the function…
CVE-2022-24826 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): On Windows, if Git LFS operates on a malicious repository with a `..exe` file as well as a file named `git.exe`, and…

Browse all CWE-426 (Untrusted Search Path) vulnerabilities →