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Application Performance ManagementApplication · Microfocus

CVE-2021-22514

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-04-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
An arbitrary code execution vulnerability exists in Micro Focus Application Performance Management, affecting versions 9.40, 9.50 and 9.51. The vulnerability could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of APM.

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 confidence

Arbitrary code execution vulnerability in Micro Focus Application Performance Management versions 9.40, 9.50, and 9.51 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations. The critical CVSS 9.8 score indicates a network-exploitable flaw with low complexity and no authentication required.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of APM if available from Micro Focus; otherwise implement network segmentation, restrict access to the APM interface, and deploy compensating controls such as WAF rules to mitigate exploitation until patching is feasible.

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
Application Performance ManagementApplication
Affected:= 9.40= 9.50= 9.51

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if Micro Focus APM is installed
    Check for Micro Focus Application Performance Management processes running on the system (e.g., look for processes named 'Introscope' or 'APM' in task manager or via 'wmic process list' on Windows, or 'ps aux' on Linux). Also check common installation directories such as C:\Micro Focus\APM or /opt/microfocus/apm on Linux.
    Affected if Micro Focus Application Performance Management software is found running on the system
  2. Determine the installed APM version
    Locate the version information in the installation directory. Common locations include: a 'version.txt' or 'readme.txt' file in the installation root, the 'Introscope_Version.txt' file in the 'config' folder, or by running 'introscope.exe -version' if a command-line tool exists. Check the product's About or Help section if the web interface is accessible.
    Affected if The installed version matches exactly 9.40, 9.50, or 9.51
  3. Verify version from configuration or registry
    On Windows, check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Micro Focus or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Micro Focus for keys named 'Version' or 'ProductVersion' pointing to APM. On Linux, check /opt/MicroFocus or /opt/MicroFocus/APM directories for version files.
    Affected if Registry or configuration files report version 9.40, 9.50, or 9.51
  4. Check if the APM web interface is network-accessible
    Determine if the APM Introscope Web View or REST API ports (typically 8080, 8443, or configured custom ports) are exposed to the network. Use 'netstat -an | findstr 8080' or 'netstat -tuln' on Linux to identify listening ports. Verify if the interface is bound to 0.0.0.0 or an external IP rather than localhost only.
    Affected if The APM web interface port is listening on a network-accessible IP address (0.0.0.0 or external interface) and the version is 9.40, 9.50, or 9.51

A system is affected only if Micro Focus Application Performance Management is installed AND the version is exactly 9.40, 9.50, or 9.51 AND the interface is network-accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of APM if available from Micro Focus; otherwise implement network segmentation, restrict access to the APM interface, and deploy compensating controls such as WAF rules to mitigate exploitation until patching is feasible.

Fix this in Application Performance Management Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-22514 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data