CVE-2021-21440
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 · uneditedGenerated Support Bundles contains private S/MIME and PGP keys if containing folder is not hidden. This issue affects: OTRS AG ((OTRS)) Community Edition 6.0.x version 6.0.1 and later versions. OTRS AG OTRS 7.0.x version 7.0.27 and prior versions; 8.0.x version 8.0.14 and prior versions.
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 confidenceOTRS support bundle generation includes private S/MIME and PGP keys when the folder containing these keys is not configured as hidden. This results in unintended exposure of cryptographic private keys within support bundles, potentially allowing unauthorized access to sensitive key material if the bundle is shared or intercepted.
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>= 6.0.0, <= 6.0.1>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.27>= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.14CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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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Verify OTRS versionCheck the installed OTRS version against the affected ranges: 6.0.0-6.0.1, 7.0.0-7.0.27, or 8.0.0-8.0.14. Look for version information in the OTRS system information or admin panel.Affected if The installed version falls within any of the affected version ranges.
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Confirm S/MIME or PGP encryption is configuredCheck if S/MIME or PGP encryption features are enabled in the OTRS configuration. Look for Crypt::PGP or Crypt::S/MIME related settings in the system configuration.Affected if S/MIME or PGP encryption is enabled and private keys exist on the system.
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Inspect private key directory visibility settingExamine the OTRS configuration to determine whether the directory containing private S/MIME and PGP keys is configured as a hidden folder. Check the relevant configuration parameter that controls folder visibility for key storage paths.Affected if The private key directory is NOT configured as hidden (the vulnerability condition).
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Review support bundle generation historyCheck if any support bundles have been generated and exported from the OTRS system. Inspect the bundle contents if accessible to verify whether private key files are included.Affected if Support bundles were generated while private key folders were not hidden, potentially exposing key material.
A user is affected if they run a vulnerable OTRS version (6.0.x, 7.0.x up to 27, or 8.0.x up to 14) with S/MIME or PGP encryption enabled and have not configured private key directories as hidden folders before generating support bundles.
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 dataEnsure private key directories are configured as hidden folders in the OTRS configuration, or apply patches that explicitly exclude private keys from support bundles regardless of folder visibility settings.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21440 — 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-2021-21440 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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- 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
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