CVE-2021-28499
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 · uneditedIn Arista's MOS (Metamako Operating System) software which is supported on the 7130 product line, user account passwords set in clear text could leak to users without any password. This issue affects: Arista Metamako Operating System MOS-0.18 and post releases in the MOS-0.1x train All releases in the MOS-0.2x train MOS-0.31.1 and prior releases in the MOS-0.3x train
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 confidenceIn Arista's Metamako Operating System (MOS) used on the 7130 product line, user account passwords are stored in cleartext and can be accessed by users without any password authentication. This represents a sensitive information exposure vulnerability where password credentials are improperly protected.
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>= 0.10.0, <= 0.18.0>= 0.20.0, < 0.32.0CVSS 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
- 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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Determine the installed MOS versionRun the command to display the Metamako Operating System version, typically via 'show version' or accessing system information through the management interfaceAffected if The displayed version falls within 0.10.0 to 0.18.0 inclusive, or 0.20.0 to 0.32.0 exclusive (i.e., less than 0.32.0)
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Locate user account storageIdentify where user account data is stored on the MOS system - look in configuration directories, user databases, or authentication configuration files that contain user credentialsAffected if User account files exist on the system and are accessible to authenticated users
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Examine password storage formatInspect the contents of the user account data files to determine how passwords are stored - look for plaintext password strings versus hashed valuesAffected if Passwords appear as clear, readable text rather than being stored as salted hashes or encrypted values
A system is affected if it runs a MOS version in the ranges 0.10.0-0.18.0 or 0.20.0-0.31.x and stores user passwords in cleartext format accessible without authentication.
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 · scoped0.32.0
Implement proper password hashing (e.g., bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2) for stored credentials and review access controls to ensure users cannot retrieve password data they are not authorized to access.
MOS >= 0.32.0 (or latest available stable release in 0.32.x or newer train)
- 1. Identify the current MOS version running on the 7130 product line using 'show version' or similar command
- 2. If running MOS-0.1x train (0.10.0-0.18.0), plan upgrade to MOS-0.19.0 or later in the 0.1x train, or preferably migrate to 0.32.x or later
- 3. If running MOS-0.2x train (all versions affected), plan upgrade to MOS-0.32.0 or later
- 4. If running MOS-0.3x train (0.31.1 or earlier), plan upgrade to MOS-0.32.0 or later
- 5. Download the appropriate upgrade image from Arista's support portal
- 6. Follow Arista's standard upgrade procedure for MOS devices, typically using 'software upgrade' command
- 7. After upgrade, verify the fix by confirming passwords are no longer visible in clear text to unauthorized users
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-28499 — 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-2021-28499 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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