CVE-2021-31508
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-13306.
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 DXF file parsing due to lack of proper validation of user-supplied data, allowing write past end of an allocated buffer and enabling arbitrary code execution in the current process context.
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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Confirm OpenText Brava! Desktop is installedCheck Program Files for OpenText Brava! Desktop folder, or look for the application in the Windows Start Menu / Programs listAffected if The application is installed on the system
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Identify installed Brava! Desktop versionRight-click the Brava! Desktop executable or shortcut, select Properties, and check the Details tab for the version number. Alternatively, open the application and look in Help > AboutAffected if Version is exactly 16.6.3.84
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Verify DXF file handling capabilityCheck if DXF file type associations are registered in Windows (look for .dxf extension handlers in Default Programs or Registry under HKCR\.dxf) or attempt to open a DXF file in Brava! DesktopAffected if DXF files can be opened or previewed in Brava! Desktop
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Review recent DXF file activityCheck Windows Event Viewer for recent file access events involving .dxf files, or look in recent documents folder for DXF files opened with Brava! DesktopAffected if DXF files have been opened with Brava! Desktop version 16.6.3.84
The system is affected only if OpenText Brava! Desktop version 16.6.3.84 is installed AND DXF file handling or parsing functionality is available or has been used.
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 security patches when available. Until then, avoid opening untrusted or unknown DXF files and restrict file handling to trusted sources.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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-2021-31508 — 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-2021-31508 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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