CVE-2021-22153
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 · uneditedA Remote Code Execution vulnerability in the Management Console component of BlackBerry UEM version(s) 12.13.1 QF2 and earlier and 12.12.1a QF6 and earlier could allow an attacker to potentially cause the spreadsheet application to run commands on the victim’s local machine with the authority of the user.
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 confidenceA Remote Code Execution vulnerability in BlackBerry UEM's Management Console allows attackers to potentially execute commands on a victim's local machine through a malicious spreadsheet. The vulnerability stems from the spreadsheet application's processing of crafted content, which triggers command execution with the logged-in user's privileges.
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<= 12.12.0= 12.12.1a= 12.13.0= 12.13.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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.
-
Identify BlackBerry UEM installation and versionAccess the BlackBerry UEM Management Console and navigate to Settings > About, or check the UEM server's installed programs/registry for the version numberAffected if The installed version matches <= 12.12.0, 12.12.1a, 12.13.0, or 12.13.1
-
Verify Management Console accessibilityConfirm the BlackBerry UEM Management Console is reachable via browser at the configured hostname/IP on ports 443 or 8443Affected if The Management Console is exposed and reachable on the network
-
Check if spreadsheet import feature is enabledIn the Management Console, navigate to Settings > User Management > User Import or similar spreadsheet import configuration areas to see if the feature is activeAffected if Spreadsheet import functionality is enabled in the Management Console settings
-
Confirm user privileges on the consoleVerify that the console is being accessed with an account that has sufficient privileges to import user data via spreadsheetAffected if The logged-in console user has privileges to perform spreadsheet-based user imports
You are affected if BlackBerry UEM versions 12.12.0 or lower, 12.12.1a, 12.13.0, or 12.13.1 are installed and the Management Console with spreadsheet import functionality is accessible.
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 dataUpgrade BlackBerry UEM to versions newer than 12.13.1 QF2 and 12.12.1a QF6. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict access to the Management Console to trusted users and disable or restrict spreadsheet functionality within the console until the patch can be applied.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,024.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22153 — 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-2021-22153 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