CVE-2021-31217
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 SolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control Server 12.0.1.200, insecure file permissions allow file deletion as SYSTEM.
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 confidenceSolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control Server 12.0.1.200 contains insecure file permissions that allow local attackers to delete arbitrary files with SYSTEM-level privileges. This local privilege escalation vulnerability stems from overly permissive access controls on the application's file system objects.
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= 12.0.1.200CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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.
-
Confirm DameWare Mini Remote Control installation and versionOpen Programs and Features (or appwiz.cpl) and locate SolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control in the installed programs list. Note the version number shown in the Version column.Affected if The program is listed with version exactly 12.0.1.200
-
Locate the DameWare installation directoryRight-click on the DameWare entry in Programs and Features and select Properties, or right-click the DameWare desktop shortcut and select Properties. Examine the Target path to identify the installation folder, typically found under C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\DameWare Mini Remote Control\ or similar.Affected if The installation directory exists on the system
-
Inspect file permissions on the installation folderRight-click the DameWare installation folder, select Properties, then go to the Security tab. Click Advanced to view detailed permissions. Check if non-privileged users or groups (such as Users, Authenticated Users, or Everyone) have Delete or Write permissions granted at the folder level.Affected if Users without administrative privileges can modify or delete files in the DameWare installation directory
-
Verify service account privilegesOpen Services (services.msc), locate the DameWare service, right-click and select Properties. Note the Log On As account. Then check if this service executable folder grants write/delete access to low-privilege users.Affected if The service runs with SYSTEM privileges and the installation folder permissions allow standard users to delete files
A user is affected if SolarWinds DameWare Mini Remote Control version 12.0.1.200 is installed AND the installation directory grants excessive file modification or deletion permissions to 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.
From vendor dataRestrict file and folder permissions on the DameWare installation directory to prevent unauthorized file deletion by non-privileged users; apply least-privilege principles to all service-related files and directories.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31217 — 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-2021-31217 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