CVE-2021-21442
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 · uneditedIn the project create screen it's possible to inject malicious JS code to the certain fields. The code might be executed in the Reporting screen. This issue affects: OTRS AG Time Accounting: 7.0.x versions prior to 7.0.19.
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 confidenceA stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in OTRS AG Time Accounting where malicious JavaScript can be injected into certain fields in the project create screen. The injected payload is stored in the database and executes when users view the Reporting screen.
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>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.20CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 OTRS Time Accounting versionLocate the installed OTRS Time Accounting version number, typically found in the product documentation, about page, or version file within the OTRS installation directoryAffected if The installed version is 7.0.0 through 7.0.19 (inclusive)
-
Confirm Time Accounting module is activeCheck if the Time Accounting module is enabled in the OTRS system configuration or admin panelAffected if Time Accounting module is installed and active in the OTRS instance
-
Verify access to Reporting screenDetermine if any user role has permission to access the Reporting screen within Time AccountingAffected if The Reporting screen is accessible to any user in the environment
-
Inspect project creation fieldsReview the project creation form in the Time Accounting module for any existing entries in project name or description fieldsAffected if Projects exist in the system that may contain injected payloads from the project create screen
The environment is affected if OTRS Time Accounting version 7.0.0 through 7.0.19 is installed, the Time Accounting module is enabled, and users have access to both the project creation form and the Reporting screen where stored payloads could execute.
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 data7.0.20
Upgrade to OTRS AG Time Accounting version 7.0.19 or later, which contains the security fix. If immediate upgrade is not possible, implement input validation on project creation fields and output encoding on the Reporting screen display.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21442 — 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-2021-21442 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