CVE-2017-9421
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAuthentication Bypass vulnerability in Accellion kiteworks before 2017.01.00 allows remote attackers to execute certain API calls on behalf of a web user using a gathered token via a POST request to /oauth/token.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThe Accellion kiteworks application has an authentication bypass vulnerability in its OAuth token endpoint (/oauth/token). Attackers can use a previously gathered token to execute certain API calls on behalf of legitimate web users without proper validation, allowing unauthorized access to user-specific functionality.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 2017.01.00CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Accellion Kiteworks versionCheck the installed Kiteworks version via the admin interface, system information page, or by querying the application banner/version endpoint. On the server, look for version files in the installation directory or check the about/page in the web UI.Affected if The installed version is any release prior to 2017.01.00 (e.g., 2016.x.x, 2015.x.x, etc.)
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Verify OAuth token endpoint is exposedConfirm that the /oauth/token endpoint is accessible from the network. This can be done by attempting a GET or POST request to https://[your-kiteworks-host]/oauth/token and verifying the endpoint responds (rather than returning 404 or being blocked).Affected if The /oauth/token endpoint is reachable and responds to requests without requiring additional authentication beyond a token.
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Check OAuth token validation configurationReview the OAuth configuration files (typically found in the Kiteworks installation directory under config/ or similar) to examine how token validation is implemented. Look for settings related to token validation, audience (aud) claims, and issuer validation.Affected if Token validation is not properly enforcing audience (aud) claim checks or allowing reuse of tokens across different API contexts.
You are affected if the installed Kiteworks version is below 2017.01.00 AND the /oauth/token endpoint is accessible with weak or missing token validation logic.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data2017.01.00
Upgrade to Accellion kiteworks version 2017.01.00 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, review and restrict access to the /oauth/token endpoint and implement additional token validation checks.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-9421 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2017-9421 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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