CVE-2021-28829
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 Administration GUI component of TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition, TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition, TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition Distribution for TIBCO Silver Fabric, TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition Distribution for TIBCO Silver Fabric, TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition for z/Linux, and TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition for z/Linux contains an easily exploitable vulnerability that allows a low privileged attacker with network access to execute a persistent CSV injection attack from the affected system. A successful attack using this vulnerability requires human interaction from a person other than the attacker. Affected releases are TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition: versions 5.10.2 and below, TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition: versions 5.11.0 and 5.11.1, TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition Distribution for TIBCO Silver Fabric: versions 5.10.2 and below, TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition Distribution for TIBCO Silver Fabric: versions 5.11.0 and 5.11.1, TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition for z/Linux: versions 5.10.2 and below, and TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition for z/Linux: versions 5.11.0 and 5.11.1.
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 persistent CSV injection vulnerability exists in the Administration GUI component of TIBCO Administrator - Enterprise Edition. A low-privileged attacker can inject malicious formulas (starting with =, +, -, @, tab, or carriage return characters) into data fields. When a legitimate user exports data to CSV and opens it in a spreadsheet application, the formulas execute, potentially allowing arbitrary command execution or data exfiltration.
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<= 5.10.2= 5.11.0= 5.11.1CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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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Determine the installed TIBCO Administrator versionLocate the TIBCO Administrator installation directory and check the version information file, or run the product version command if available. Common locations include the installation root or a 'version.txt' file within the product directory.Affected if The installed version is 5.10.2 or lower, exactly 5.11.0, or exactly 5.11.1.
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Identify if the Administration GUI CSV export feature is present and accessibleLog in to the TIBCO Administration GUI as a low-privileged user and navigate through the interface to locate any data export or CSV download options. Check for export functionality in data grids, reports, or user management sections.Affected if CSV export functionality is available and accessible to the user account being tested.
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Verify low-privileged user write access to data fieldsUsing a low-privileged account, attempt to create or modify records in the Administration GUI. Focus on fields such as user details, configuration parameters, or any data that can be exported.Affected if Low-privileged users can create or modify data fields that are included in CSV exports.
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Inspect stored data for formula injection charactersQuery the underlying database or view stored data through the GUI to examine if any existing fields contain characters that initiate CSV formula injection: =, +, -, @, tab (0x09), or carriage return (0x0D) as the first character of a field value.Affected if Any data fields contain values starting with =, +, -, @, tab, or CR characters.
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Review recent CSV export filesLocate any recently exported CSV files from the Administration GUI. Open them in a spreadsheet application or inspect the raw file content to check for unescaped formula characters in the exported data.Affected if Exported CSV files contain formula characters (=, +, -, @) that are not escaped with a leading single quote or other mitigation.
You are affected if TIBCO Administrator version is 5.10.2 or lower, 5.11.0, or 5.11.1 AND the Administration GUI CSV export feature is accessible to low-privileged users who can inject formula characters into data fields.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor patches for affected versions (5.10.2 and below, 5.11.0, 5.11.1). Until patched, disable or restrict CSV export functionality in the Administration GUI and implement input validation to escape formula-special characters in all exported data fields.
- 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-2021-28829 — 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-2021-28829 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
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