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Brava\! DesktopApplication · Opentext

CVE-2021-31482

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-06-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of OpenText Brava! Desktop 16.6.3.84. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of DWF files. The issue results from the lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, which can result in a write past the end of an allocated buffer. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. Was ZDI-CAN-12708.

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 confidence

OpenText Brava! Desktop 16.6.3.84 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its DWF file parser. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied data during DWF file parsing, allowing an attacker to write past the end of an allocated buffer. This can be exploited to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user process via a malicious DWF file or webpage.

MitigationApply the vendor patch when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted DWF files and disable automatic file handling in the browser. Deploy endpoint detection and monitoring for suspicious processes spawned from Brava! Desktop.

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
Brava\! DesktopApplication
Affected:= 16.6.3.84

CVSS 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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify OpenText Brava! Desktop installation
    Check if OpenText Brava! Desktop is installed by looking in Program Files for the Brava! Desktop folder, or check the Windows registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named 'Brava! Desktop'
    Affected if The software is installed and the version shows 16.6.3.84
  2. Confirm installed version number
    Right-click on the Brava! Desktop executable (typically in C:\Program Files\OpenText\Brava! Desktop\ or similar) and select Properties, then check the Details tab for the File Version, or run: wmic product where "name like '%Brava%'" get name,version
    Affected if The version is exactly 16.6.3.84
  3. Inspect DWF file association
    Check if .DWF file type is associated with Brava! Desktop by going to Control Panel > Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program, or inspect HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.dwf in the registry
    Affected if DWF files are set to open automatically with Brava! Desktop, making the vulnerability accessible via double-clicking a malicious file
  4. Check browser plugin or integration
    Inspect installed browser extensions or plugins related to Brava! Desktop, or check for browser helper objects (BHO) in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects
    Affected if A browser plugin or BHO for Brava! Desktop exists that can automatically process DWF files from webpages
  5. Monitor for suspicious child processes
    Use Process Monitor or similar tooling to observe if Brava! Desktop spawns unexpected child processes, particularly cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or other executables, especially when opening DWF files from untrusted sources
    Affected if Brava! Desktop spawns processes it normally does not use, which may indicate successful exploitation

You are affected if OpenText Brava! Desktop version 16.6.3.84 is installed and DWF files can be processed by the application, either through file association or browser integration.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor patch when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted DWF files and disable automatic file handling in the browser. Deploy endpoint detection and monitoring for suspicious processes spawned from Brava! Desktop.

Fix this in Brava\! Desktop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-31482 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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