CVE-2021-27730
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 · uneditedAccellion FTA 9_12_432 and earlier is affected by argument injection via a crafted POST request to an admin endpoint. The fixed version is FTA_9_12_444 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 · moderate confidenceAccellion FTA versions 9_12_432 and earlier contain an argument injection vulnerability in an admin endpoint via crafted POST requests. This critical flaw (CVSS 9.8) allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary arguments, potentially leading to command execution. The vulnerability is patched in version FTA_9_12_444.
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<= 9_12_432CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.
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Confirm Accellion FTA installationIdentify if Accellion FTA (File Transfer Appliance) is running in the environment. This is typically a Linux-based appliance that provides file transfer services. Check for processes named 'fta', 'httpd', or review installed packages.Affected if Accellion FTA software is present on the system
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Determine installed FTA versionLocate the FTA version by checking the version file or login to the admin interface and view the system information page. The version is typically displayed as something like 9_12_xxx in the format 9_12_432. Check /etc/fta_version or look for version files in the FTA installation directory.Affected if The version shown is 9_12_432 or any version number lower than 9_12_444 (for example, 9_12_410, 9_12_400, etc.)
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Verify admin endpoint accessibilityCheck if the FTA admin web interface is accessible from the network. The admin endpoint is typically on port 8443 or 443. Determine if the /admin interface or similar administrative routes are exposed externally.Affected if The admin interface is accessible and the FTA version is 9_12_432 or earlier
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Check for signs of exploitationReview FTA server logs for suspicious POST requests to admin endpoints with unusual arguments. Look for any unauthorized access attempts or unexpected command executions in /var/log/fta/ or similar log locations.Affected if Logs show suspicious POST requests with injected arguments or unexpected command execution patterns
A system is affected if Accellion FTA is running with version 9_12_432 or any version prior to FTA_9_12_444 and the admin endpoint is 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 · scopedUpgrade Accellion FTA to version FTA_9_12_444 or later. Note that Accellion FTA reached end-of-life in April 2021; organizations should consider migrating to Accellion kiteworks or alternative secure file transfer solutions.
FTA_9_12_444 or later
- Verify current Accellion FTA version by accessing the admin interface or checking system documentation
- Download FTA_9_12_444 or later version from official Accellion channels
- Review Accellion upgrade documentation for specific upgrade procedures
- Perform a full backup of the FTA system including configuration and data
- Schedule maintenance window as upgrade may require system restart
- Execute upgrade to FTA_9_12_444 or later following official upgrade instructions
- Verify successful upgrade by checking the new version number
- Test critical file transfer functionality post-upgrade
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-27730 — 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-2021-27730 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
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