CVE-2021-31494
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 DXF 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-13305.
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 confidenceOpenText Brava! Desktop 16.6.3.3 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in its DXF file parser. The application fails to properly validate user-supplied data when parsing DXF files, allowing an attacker to write beyond the bounds of an allocated buffer. This can be triggered by convincing a user to open a specially crafted malicious DXF file, leading to 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 is installedCheck for the presence of Brava! Desktop in your installed programs (Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell to query registry key HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* for DisplayName containing 'Brava' or 'OpenText')Affected if The application is not installed, then you are not affected by this specific vulnerability in this product.
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Determine the installed version numberLocate the Brava! Desktop installation directory (commonly under C:\Program Files\OpenText or C:\Program Files\Brava) and check the version info of the main executable (typically Brava.exe or similar), or use PowerShell: Get-Item 'C:\Program Files\OpenText\Brava Desktop\*\Brava.exe' | Select-Object Name, VersionInfoAffected if The installed version is exactly 16.6.3.84 - only this exact version is affected per the CVE.
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Confirm DXF file handling capability is presentCheck if the DXF file parser module exists in the installation directory (look for files with 'dxf' in the name or within a Parser/Filter subdirectory), or attempt to open a benign DXF file with the application to verify parsing functionality is availableAffected if DXF file handling is not present or disabled, the buffer overflow cannot be triggered even on the affected version.
You are affected only if OpenText Brava! Desktop version 16.6.3.84 is installed AND the DXF file parsing feature is accessible and enabled in your environment.
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 patches when available. Until then, instruct users to avoid opening untrusted DXF files from unknown sources. Consider disabling or restricting the DXF file handling capability if not business-critical.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31494 — 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-2021-31494 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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