CVE-2021-28824
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 · uneditedThe Windows Installation component of TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO ActiveSpaces - Community Edition, TIBCO ActiveSpaces - Developer Edition, and TIBCO ActiveSpaces - Enterprise Edition contains a vulnerability that theoretically allows a low privileged attacker with local access on some versions of the Windows operating system to insert malicious software. The affected component can be abused to execute the malicious software inserted by the attacker with the elevated privileges of the component. This vulnerability results from a lack of access restrictions on certain files and/or folders in the installation. Affected releases are TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO ActiveSpaces - Community Edition: versions 4.5.0 and below, TIBCO ActiveSpaces - Developer Edition: versions 4.5.0 and below, and TIBCO ActiveSpaces - Enterprise Edition: versions 4.5.0 and below.
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 local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Windows installer component of TIBCO ActiveSpaces (versions 4.5.0 and below) due to missing access restrictions on certain installation files and folders. A low-privileged attacker with local Windows access can place malicious software which the installer then executes with elevated privileges.
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< 4.6.0CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 installed TIBCO ActiveSpaces versionOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'wmic product get name,version' to list installed TIBCO products. Look for ActiveSpaces in the list and note the version number.Affected if The installed version is 4.5.0 or below (any version < 4.6.0 indicates vulnerability)
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Locate TIBCO ActiveSpaces installation directoryRight-click the installed program in Programs and Features and select Properties, or check the installation logs, to find the installation path. Default locations are typically C:\Program Files\TIBCO or C:\TIBCO.Affected if The installation directory exists on the system
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Verify file system permissions on installation folderRight-click the TIBCO installation folder, go to Properties > Security tab. Check which users and groups have Write or Full Control permissions. Specifically examine if Users orAuthenticated Users have write access.Affected if Non-privileged users (such as Users group or standard users) have Write or Full Control permissions on the installation directory
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Audit installation folder for unauthorized filesOpen the TIBCO installation directory in File Explorer. Look for any unexpected .exe, .dll, .bat, .cmd, or .ps1 files that were not part of a recent install or update. Check folder modification timestamps.Affected if Any suspicious or unrecognized executable files are present in the installation directory that could have been placed by a low-privileged attacker
A system is affected if TIBCO ActiveSpaces version is below 4.6.0 AND the installation directory permits write access by non-privileged users.
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 · scoped4.6.0
Apply vendor patches when available. Until then, restrict file system permissions on the TIBCO installation directory to prevent unauthorized write access by non-privileged users, and audit the installation folder for any unauthorized files.
TIBCO ActiveSpaces versions 4.6.0 and later (Community, Developer, and Enterprise editions)
- Identify the currently installed TIBCO ActiveSpaces version on the Windows system
- Download TIBCO ActiveSpaces version 4.6.0 or later from the official TIBCO support portal
- Review the upgrade documentation provided by TIBCO for version 4.6.0
- Backup the current installation including configuration files and any custom settings
- Stop all running TIBCO ActiveSpaces services and processes
- Install version 4.6.0 using the Windows Installation component
- Verify that access restrictions are properly configured on installation folders post-upgrade
- Restart the TIBCO ActiveSpaces services
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 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-2021-28824 — 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-2021-28824 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