# NetApp FAS/AFF BIOS privilege escalation flaw

Published: 2026-10-29 · Severity: routine · Sectors: Infrastructure, Technology
Canonical: https://vorant.io/reports/83126ac5-5a40-5be3-b651-d76be7405762/netapp-fas-aff-bios-privilege-escalation-flaw
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> CERT-FR advisory warns of a privilege escalation vulnerability in NetApp FAS/AFF storage system BIOS firmware; patches available.

Source: cert.cyber.gouv.fr — https://www.cert.cyber.gouv.fr/avis/CERTFR-2026-AVI-1410

## What to check

- Applies to: The 1 CVE named below. Whether you run an affected version is not assessed: check the versions the source lists.
- Exploitation: No exploitation in the wild and no public exploit is recorded for the CVEs named.

CERT-FR has published an advisory regarding a vulnerability affecting NetApp FAS/AFF storage systems, specifically in the BIOS firmware of several hardware models. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2021-42554, allows an attacker to achieve privilege escalation on affected systems. Affected products include FAS/AFF BIOS versions prior to 308-04120_A0_SERVICE_IMAGE_11.18_S (impacting A300, 8200, C190, A220, 2720, 2750, A150 models) and versions prior to 308-04123_A0_SERVICE_IMAGE_18.6 (impacting A900 and 9500 models).

No indication of active exploitation in the wild is provided in this advisory. Defenders operating NetApp FAS/AFF storage systems should consult NetApp's security bulletin NTAP-20220216-0007 and apply the referenced BIOS firmware updates to remediate the vulnerability. Organizations should verify their current BIOS service image versions against the patched releases identified in the advisory and prioritize updates for storage infrastructure, particularly in environments where privilege escalation could lead to broader compromise of storage management functions.

## Mentioned in this report

- Vulnerabilities: CVE-2021-42554

Source reporting: https://www.cert.cyber.gouv.fr/avis/CERTFR-2026-AVI-1410

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