CVE-2021-31484
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 · uneditedThis 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-12710.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in OpenText Brava! Desktop 16.6.3.84 during DWF file parsing. The lack of proper validation of user-supplied data allows writing past the end of an allocated buffer, enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process. Exploitation requires user interaction via malicious file or page.
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= 16.6.3.84CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Verify OpenText Brava! Desktop installationCheck if Brava! Desktop is installed on the system by looking in Program Files or Program Files (x86) for OpenText Brava! Desktop folder, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Brava! Desktop entryAffected if The software is installed and version 16.6.3.84 is found
-
Confirm exact version numberRight-click on the Brava! Desktop executable (typically Brava.exe or similar) in the installation directory, select Properties, and check the File Version field under the Details tab. Alternatively, run 'wmic product get name,version' or check Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if The installed version is exactly 16.6.3.84
-
Identify DWF file handling capabilityCheck if the DWF file type handler is registered with Brava! Desktop by looking for .dwf file association in the registry under HKCR\.dwf or by opening Brava! Desktop and attempting to access any DWF-related import or conversion featureAffected if DWF file handling is enabled and the software processes DWF files
-
Review recent file processing activityCheck Windows Event Logs (Application and Security logs) around the time of any suspicious DWF file openings, or check recent documents/access logs for .dwf files processed by Brava! DesktopAffected if DWF files have been recently opened or processed using Brava! Desktop version 16.6.3.84
A user is affected if OpenText Brava! Desktop version 16.6.3.84 is installed and DWF files are processed using this software.
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 dataAvoid opening untrusted DWF files until a vendor patch is available. Apply principle of least privilege to limit impact of successful exploitation.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31484 — 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-2021-31484 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