CVE-2021-31488
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-12716.
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 buffer overflow vulnerability in OpenText Brava! Desktop 16.6.3.84 allows remote code execution through malicious DWF files. The flaw exists in DWF file parsing where lack of proper validation of user-supplied data results in a write past the end of an allocated buffer, enabling arbitrary code execution in the context of the current process.
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.
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Verify OpenText Brava! Desktop installationCheck for Brava! Desktop installation by looking for the application in Program Files (typically C:\Program Files\OpenText\Brava! Desktop or similar), or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'Brava' or 'OpenText'. Also check for running processes named Brava.exe or related executables.Affected if The application is found installed on the system.
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Confirm installed version is 16.6.3.84Right-click the Brava! Desktop executable (typically Brava.exe or BravaDesktop.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, and check the File Version on the Details tab. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry uninstall entry for the DisplayVersion value.Affected if The installed version is exactly 16.6.3.84.
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Check if DWF file handling is enabledOpen Brava! Desktop and navigate to Tools > Options or Settings. Look for file type associations or viewer settings that enable DWF (Design Web Format) file preview and rendering. Also check Windows file type associations for .dwf extension linked to Brava! Desktop.Affected if DWF file handling or the .dwf file type association is enabled or configured in Brava! Desktop.
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Identify recent DWF file activityCheck the Windows Recent Items folder (shell:recent) or the application's recent files list for .dwf files opened around the time of potential compromise. Use Windows Event Viewer to look for application crash events or suspicious process activity related to Brava! Desktop.Affected if There are recent .dwf files in the application history or unusual crash events associated with DWF file processing.
A system is affected if OpenText Brava! Desktop version 16.6.3.84 is installed with DWF file handling enabled and the user has opened or can open DWF files from any source.
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-supplied patch/updates from OpenText for Brava! Desktop; until patch available, restrict handling of DWF files from untrusted sources and train users to not open untrusted file attachments.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31488 — 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-2021-31488 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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