CVE-2021-20397
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 · uneditedIBM QRadar SIEM 7.3 and 7.4 is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session. IBM X-Force ID: 196017.
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 · high confidenceStored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM QRadar SIEM versions 7.3 and 7.4 allows authenticated users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code into the Web UI. When other users view the injected content, the script executes within their trusted session context, potentially enabling credential theft or unauthorized actions.
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>= 7.3.0, < 7.3.3>= 7.4.0, < 7.4.2= 7.3.3= 7.4.2CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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.
-
Identify QRadar SIEM versionRun the command 'qversion' or check /opt/qradar/conf/qradar.version to retrieve the installed QRadar versionAffected if The installed version is 7.3.0-7.3.3 or 7.4.0-7.4.2 (including the 7.3.3 and 7.4.2 point releases)
-
Confirm Web UI is accessibleVerify that the QRadar web console is enabled and accessible by attempting to reach the console login pageAffected if The Web UI is exposed and reachable from any network where potential attackers could authenticate
-
Check for authenticated user sessionsReview active user sessions in the QRadar Admin console under the 'Users' section or by examining /var/log/qradar.log for user authentication eventsAffected if Multiple users have active Web UI sessions, indicating the injected script could target other users
-
Inspect Web UI input fields for potential injection pointsReview custom rules, saved searches, or dashboard widgets that accept user-supplied text for any unsanitized content containing script tagsAffected if Any user-created content in the Web UI contains raw JavaScript or HTML tags without proper encoding
You are affected if your QRadar installation runs version 7.3.0 through 7.3.3 or 7.4.0 through 7.4.2 and the Web UI is accessible to authenticated users who could inject malicious scripts.
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 data7.3.37.4.2
Apply IBM's security patch for CVE-2021-20397 to QRadar 7.3/7.4 or upgrade to a patched version. Implement output encoding and input validation on all Web UI fields to prevent script injection.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-20397 — 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-2021-20397 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data