CVE-2021-23277
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 · uneditedEaton Intelligent Power Manager (IPM) prior to 1.69 is vulnerable to unauthenticated eval injection vulnerability. The software does not neutralize code syntax from users before using in the dynamic evaluation call in loadUserFile function under scripts/libs/utils.js. Successful exploitation can allow attackers to control the input to the function and execute attacker controlled commands.
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 confidenceEaton Intelligent Power Manager (IPM) before version 1.69 contains an unauthenticated eval injection vulnerability in the loadUserFile function within scripts/libs/utils.js. The application fails to sanitize or neutralize user-controlled input before passing it to a dynamic evaluation call (eval()), allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the affected system.
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< 1.69< 1.69< 1.68CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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.
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Identify if Eaton IPM or IPP is installedLocate the Eaton Intelligent Power Manager or Intelligent Power Protector installation on the system. Check common installation directories or use system package managers to list installed Eaton software.Affected if The software is not found on the system, the user is not affected.
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Determine the installed versionCheck the installed version of Eaton Intelligent Power Manager or Intelligent Power Protector. Consult product documentation for version location (typically accessible via the application UI, an about dialog, or installed package information).Affected if The installed version is 1.69 or higher for IPM/IPM Virtual Appliance, or 1.68 or higher for IPP, then the user is NOT affected. If the version is below these thresholds, proceed to the next check.
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Verify the vulnerable code existsLocate the file scripts/libs/utils.js within the IPM installation directory. Examine the loadUserFile function for the presence of an eval() call that uses unsanitized user input.Affected if The file exists and contains an eval() call within loadUserFile that processes user-controlled input without sanitization, confirming the vulnerability is present.
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Assess network exposureDetermine if the IPM management web interface is accessible over the network. This vulnerability is exploitable remotely without authentication.Affected if The IPM web management interface is exposed to untrusted networks, making the eval injection flaw remotely exploitable.
A user is affected if Eaton IPM (< 1.69), IPM Virtual Appliance (< 1.69), or IPP (< 1.68) is installed, the vulnerable eval injection code exists in scripts/libs/utils.js, and the management interface is network-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.
dbcve · scoped1.681.69
Upgrade Eaton Intelligent Power Manager to version 1.69 or later. As an immediate workaround, restrict network access to the IPM management interface to trusted users only until the patch can be applied.
Intelligent Power Manager: 1.69 | Intelligent Power Manager Virtual Appliance: 1.69 | Intelligent Power Protector: 1.68
- 1. Identify which Eaton product is affected: Intelligent Power Manager, Intelligent Power Manager Virtual Appliance, or Intelligent Power Protector
- 2. Obtain the fixed version from official Eaton sources (Eaton.com or authorized distribution channels)
- 3. For Intelligent Power Manager: upgrade to version 1.69
- 4. For Intelligent Power Manager Virtual Appliance: upgrade to version 1.69
- 5. For Intelligent Power Protector: upgrade to version 1.68
- 6. After upgrade, verify the loadUserFile function in scripts/libs/utils.js no longer uses dynamic eval() with user-controlled input
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-23277 — 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-2021-23277 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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