CVE-2021-22523
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 · uneditedXML External Entity vulnerability in Micro Focus Verastream Host Integrator, affecting version 7.8 Update 1 and earlier versions. The vulnerability could allow the control of web browser and hijacking user sessions.
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 confidenceAn XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in Micro Focus Verastream Host Integrator versions 7.8 Update 1 and earlier allows attackers to inject malicious XML entity definitions that can lead to web browser control and session hijacking through the processing of untrusted XML input.
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< 7.8= 7.8CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L
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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Verify Verastream Host Integrator is installedCheck for the product in standard installation paths (C:\Program Files\Micro Focus\Verastream Host Integrator or /opt/microfocus/vhi) or look for the VHI service/process running on the systemAffected if The product is present on the system
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Identify installed versionLocate the version information in the installation directory, typically in a version.txt, about.html, or in the product's system information panel. Compare the version number to the affected range: versions before 7.8 and version 7.8 (including 7.8 Update 1)Affected if Installed version is 7.8 or any version lower than 7.8 (e.g., 7.7, 7.6, etc.)
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Confirm XML processing capability is accessibleCheck if the web management interface or API endpoint that processes XML data is enabled and reachable. Look for configuration files (typically in the config directory) that enable HTTP/XML listener servicesAffected if XML input processing feature is enabled and accessible over the network or to untrusted users
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Check XML parser configurationExamine the XML parser configuration files in the installation directory for settings related to external entity processing. Look for DOCTYPE declarations or entity resolution settings in the XML processor configurationAffected if External entity processing is not explicitly disabled in the XML parser configuration
You are affected if Verastream Host Integrator version 7.8 or lower is installed AND the XML processing functionality is enabled, allowing untrusted XML input to be submitted to the system.
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 data7.8
Apply the vendor-supplied patch to upgrade beyond version 7.8 Update 1, or disable external entity processing in the XML parser and implement strict input validation for XML data.
- Consultation3.0 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 $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22523 — 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-2021-22523 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