CVE-2021-22944
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 vulnerability found in UniFi Protect application V1.18.1 and earlier allows a malicious actor with a view-only role and network access to gain the same privileges as the owner of the UniFi Protect application. This vulnerability is fixed in UniFi Protect application V1.19.0 and later.
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 confidenceA broken access control vulnerability in UniFi Protect application versions 1.18.1 and earlier allows authenticated users with view-only role permissions to escalate their privileges to owner-level access through improper authorization validation, granting full administrative capabilities.
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< 1.19.0CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify UniFi Protect installationLocate the UniFi Protect application on your system or check the Ubiquiti controller/dashboard that manages UniFi devices.Affected if UniFi Protect is installed and running.
-
Determine installed UniFi Protect versionAccess the UniFi Protect interface or controller, then navigate to the system settings or about section to view the application version number.Affected if The version displayed is 1.18.1 or earlier, or any version lower than 1.19.0.
-
Verify view-only user accounts existCheck the user management or access control settings in the UniFi Protect admin interface for accounts assigned the view-only or guest role.Affected if There are view-only role accounts configured in the system.
-
Confirm affected version rangeCompare your identified version against the affected range: versions prior to 1.19.0.Affected if Your installed version is less than 1.19.0.
You are affected if UniFi Protect is installed with a version lower than 1.19.0 and view-only role accounts exist in 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.
dbcve · scoped1.19.0
Upgrade UniFi Protect application to version 1.19.0 or later to address the privilege escalation vulnerability.
UniFi Protect V1.19.0 or later
- Log in to the UniFi Controller that manages the UniFi Protect application
- Navigate to the UniFi Protect settings or system settings
- Check for available updates in the UniFi OS or Controller interface
- Locate the UniFi Protect update option
- Upgrade UniFi Protect to version 1.19.0 or later
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the installed version in the UniFi OS Console under Protect > Settings > General
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22944 — 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-2021-22944 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