CVE-2021-22781
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 · uneditedInsufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability exists in EcoStruxure Control Expert (all versions prior to V15.0 SP1, including all versions of Unity Pro), EcoStruxure Process Expert (all versions, including all versions of EcoStruxure Hybrid DCS), and SCADAPack RemoteConnect for x70, all versions, that could cause a leak of SMTP credential used for mailbox authentication when an attacker can access a project file.
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 confidenceSMTP credentials are stored with insufficient protection in project files for EcoStruxure Control Expert, EcoStruxure Process Expert, and SCADAPack RemoteConnect. An attacker with access to the project file can extract plaintext or weakly protected SMTP credentials used for mailbox authentication.
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< 15.0= 15.0all versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 installed product and versionCheck the installed version of Schneider Electric software (EcoStruxure Control Expert, EcoStruxure Process Expert, or SCADAPack RemoteConnect) using the product's About or Help menu, or check the installation directory for version information.Affected if The product is EcoStruxure Control Expert version 15.0 or any version below 15.0, or EcoStruxure Process Expert of any version, or SCADAPack RemoteConnect of any version.
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Determine if SMTP configuration existsLocate project files used by the installed product and check whether SMTP or email notification settings are configured within the project. Look for mail server, mailbox, or notification settings in the project configuration.Affected if SMTP or mailbox authentication settings are configured in the project.
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Inspect project files for stored credentialsOpen or examine the project files (such as configuration files, XML files, or project databases) that store SMTP settings. Look for fields containing username, password, or authentication credentials used for mail server access.Affected if Project files contain SMTP username and password entries in plaintext or weakly obfuscated form.
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Check file access controls on project filesReview file system permissions on the project directory to determine if unauthorized users or processes could read project files. Verify who has read access to configuration and project data files.Affected if Users other than authorized administrators can read the project files containing SMTP credentials.
You are affected if you run any of the affected products with SMTP credentials configured in project files that are accessible to users who should not have that information.
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 data15.0
Upgrade to V15.0 SP1 or later for EcoStruxure Control Expert; apply vendor patches for other affected products. Until patched, restrict access to project files and rotate exposed SMTP credentials.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing16.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $15,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22781 — 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-2021-22781 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