CVE-2021-30183
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 · uneditedCleartext storage of sensitive information in multiple versions of Octopus Server where in certain situations when running import or export processes, the password used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive values would be written to the logs in plaintext.
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 confidenceIn multiple versions of Octopus Server, the password used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive values during import or export processes was being written to logs in plaintext. This exposes the encryption key used to protect sensitive data, allowing attackers with log access to potentially recover the plaintext password and decrypt sensitive information.
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< 2020.5.329>= 2020.6.0, < 2020.6.4847>= 2021.1.0, < 2021.1.6959CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.
-
Determine Octopus Server versionCheck the installed Octopus Server version through the UI (Octopus Manager > About) or via the API endpoint /api/system/health or by inspecting the installation directory for version metadata.Affected if The installed version falls into any of these ranges: < 2020.5.329, >= 2020.6.0 and < 2020.6.4847, or >= 2021.1.0 and < 2021.1.6959
-
Identify if import or export was performedReview Octopus Server audit logs or check whether any sensitive value import/export operations were performed on the server, particularly importing or exporting variables, library variables, or sensitive values.Affected if Import or export of sensitive data was performed on an affected version, as the vulnerability only manifests during these operations
-
Search logs for plaintext passwordsSearch Octopus Server log files (located in the Logs folder of the Octopus data directory) for the string patterns related to import/export operations, looking for any plaintext password or encryption key values that appear during the import/export process.Affected if Logs contain plaintext passwords or encryption keys during import/export operations, indicating the vulnerability was triggered
-
Check for password patterns in all log filesSearch all Octopus Server log files for patterns matching the encryption password used during import/export. Look for any 16-character or longer alphanumeric strings that appear adjacent to words like 'password', 'encrypt', 'decrypt', 'key', or 'import'.Affected if Any plaintext passwords or encryption keys are found in the logs, confirming exposure of sensitive data
A user is affected if they run an affected Octopus Server version AND performed import/export operations that caused plaintext passwords to be written to logs.
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 data2020.5.3292020.6.48472021.1.6959
Upgrade to a patched version of Octopus Server. Review existing logs for any plaintext passwords that may have been exposed and rotate any compromised credentials.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-30183 — 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-2021-30183 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data