CVE-2021-23279
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 arbitrary file delete vulnerability induced due to improper input validation in meta_driver_srv.js class with saveDriverData action using invalidated driverID. An attacker can send specially crafted packets to delete the files on the system where IPM software is installed.
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) versions prior to 1.69 contain an unauthenticated arbitrary file deletion vulnerability in the meta_driver_srv.js class. The saveDriverData action fails to properly validate the driverID parameter, allowing attackers to send specially crafted HTTP requests to delete arbitrary files on the host system without any authentication credentials.
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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/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 installed Eaton IPM versionLocate the Eaton Intelligent Power Manager installation and check the software version. This is typically available through the application itself (Help > About), the Windows Add/Remove Programs list, or the Linux package management system.Affected if The installed version is lower than 1.69 (e.g., 1.68, 1.67, etc.)
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Identify installed Eaton IPP versionLocate the Eaton Intelligent Power Protector installation and check the software version through the application interface or system package listing.Affected if The installed version is lower than 1.68 (e.g., 1.67, 1.66, etc.)
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Determine if Virtual Appliance is in useIf running Eaton IPM as a virtual appliance (VM), identify the deployed appliance image version.Affected if The virtual appliance version is lower than 1.69
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Verify network accessibility of IPM web interfaceDetermine if the IPM web management interface (typically on ports 4679, 4680, or 8080) is exposed to network-accessible interfaces rather than localhost only.Affected if The IPM web interface is accessible from untrusted networks (the vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication)
You are affected if Eaton Intelligent Power Manager or Virtual Appliance version is below 1.69, or Eaton Intelligent Power Protector version is below 1.68, 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 to obtain the patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the IPM management interface to trusted IPs only to reduce exposure.
Intelligent Power Manager 1.69, Intelligent Power Manager Virtual Appliance 1.69, Intelligent Power Protector 1.68
- Download Intelligent Power Manager version 1.69 or later from the official Eaton website
- Download Intelligent Power Manager Virtual Appliance version 1.69 or later from the official Eaton website
- Download Intelligent Power Protector version 1.68 or later from the official Eaton website
- Stop the Intelligent Power Manager service before upgrading
- Install the updated version of each affected product on respective systems
- Restart the Intelligent Power Manager service after installation
- Verify the installation was successful by checking the software version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-23279 — 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-2021-23279 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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- 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