CVE-2021-21484
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 · uneditedLDAP authentication in SAP HANA Database version 2.0 can be bypassed if the attached LDAP directory server is configured to enable unauthenticated bind.
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 confidenceSAP HANA Database 2.0 relies on LDAP for user authentication, but when the connected LDAP directory server is configured to allow unauthenticated bind (a feature that accepts connection requests without validating credentials), attackers can bypass the authentication mechanism entirely by simply connecting without providing valid credentials, achieving unauthorized database access.
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= 2.0CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 SAP HANA versionExecute: SELECT * FROM M_DATABASE or use 'HDB version' command to retrieve the installed SAP HANA database versionAffected if Version is exactly 2.0 (version 2.0)
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Confirm LDAP authentication is configuredQuery: SELECT * FROM M_INIFILE_CONTENTS WHERE FILE_NAME = 'indexserver.ini' AND SECTION = 'authentication' AND KEY = 'provider' in SAP HANA studio or SQL consoleAffected if LDAP provider is enabled (value contains 'LDAP' or 'ldap')
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Verify LDAP bind configuration in SAP HANAQuery: SELECT * FROM M_INIFILE_CONTENTS WHERE FILE_NAME = 'indexserver.ini' AND SECTION = 'ldap' in SAP HANA SQL consoleAffected if LDAP section exists and contains configuration entries
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Inspect LDAP server unauthenticated bind settingCheck LDAP directory server configuration (e.g., for OpenLDAP: olcAllows in cn=config, for Active Directory: check Anonymous LDAP settings in AD LDS/ADAM configuration)Affected if LDAP server is configured to accept unauthenticated bind (e.g., 'allow bind_anonymous' in slapd.conf, or Anonymous Access enabled in AD)
User is affected if running SAP HANA 2.0 with LDAP authentication enabled and the connected LDAP directory server permits unauthenticated bind operations
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 dataDisable unauthenticated bind on the LDAP directory server and ensure SAP HANA's LDAP configuration properly enforces authenticated bind operations.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,728.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21484 — 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-2021-21484 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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