CVE-2021-21744
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 · uneditedZTE MF971R product has a configuration file control vulnerability. An attacker could use this vulnerability to modify the configuration parameters of the device, causing some security functions of the device to be disabled.
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 confidenceZTE MF971R mobile hotspot contains a configuration file control vulnerability allowing unauthenticated or unauthorized attackers to modify device configuration parameters. This can disable security functions on the device, potentially exposing the network or device to further attacks.
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= v1.0.0b05= 1v1.0.0b06= 2v1.0.0b03= s2v1.0.0b03= sv1.0.0b05CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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 device modelAccess the device web interface or check the device label/sticker to confirm the model is MF971RAffected if Device model is ZTE MF971R and firmware version matches one of: v1.0.0b05, 1v1.0.0b06, 2v1.0.0b03, s2v1.0.0b03, or sv1.0.0b05
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Check firmware versionLog into the device web management interface and navigate to the Status or Device Information page to view the firmware versionAffected if Firmware version displayed matches any of the affected versions listed in the CVE (v1.0.0b05, 1v1.0.0b06, 2v1.0.0b03, s2v1.0.0b03, or sv1.0.0b05)
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Verify management interface exposureCheck router/firewall logs and network configuration to determine if the device web management port (typically HTTP port 80 or HTTPS port 443) is exposed to the internet or untrusted networksAffected if Device management interface is accessible from external/untrusted networks without VPN or ACL restrictions
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Review configuration integrityLog into the device and review current security-related settings such as firewall status, WiFi security mode, admin password, and remote management settings for any unauthorized changesAffected if Security settings have been modified from known-good baseline or show unexpected values such as disabled firewall or altered admin credentials
A user is affected if they have a ZTE MF971R device running any of the listed firmware versions with its management interface accessible from untrusted networks or showing signs of unauthorized configuration changes.
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 dataApply vendor-supplied firmware updates for the MF971R device; until then, restrict network access to the device's management interface and monitor for unauthorized configuration changes.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $3,152.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21744 — 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-2021-21744 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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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