CVE-2021-31637
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 · uneditedAn issue found in UwAmp v.1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2.1, 3.0.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via a crafted DLL.
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 · moderate confidenceUwAmp versions 1.1 through 3.0.2 contain a DLL planting/hijacking vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by placing a crafted malicious DLL file in a location where the application loads DLLs from. The vulnerability stems from insecure DLL search path usage during application startup.
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>= 1.1, <= 3.0.2CVSS 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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Identify UwAmp versionLocate the UwAmp installation directory and check the version. This is typically shown in the application title bar, in an About dialog, or may be documented in a version.txt file within the installation folder. You can also right-click the main UwAmp executable and view its Properties for version information.Affected if The installed version is 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0, 3.0.1, or 3.0.2 (any version from 1.1 through 3.0.2 inclusive).
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Verify vulnerable version rangeCompare your identified version against the affected range: versions 1.1 through 3.0.2 are vulnerable. Versions below 1.1 or above 3.0.2 are not in the affected range.Affected if Your version falls within the 1.1 to 3.0.2 range.
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Inspect DLL files in UwAmp directoryOpen the main UwAmp installation folder and list all DLL files present. Look for any DLL files that you did not install or that are not part of a standard UwAmp deployment. Check both the root installation directory and subdirectories such as bin, lib, or modules.Affected if Unexpected or suspicious DLL files are present in the UwAmp installation directory or its subdirectories.
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Check for writable directories in installation pathExamine file system permissions on the UwAmp installation directory and its subdirectories. Determine if standard users or unprivileged processes can write files to these locations. On Windows, right-click the folder, select Properties, then check the Security tab to review write permissions.Affected if The UwAmp installation directory or any subdirectory is writable by non-admin users or untrusted processes.
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Review DLL search path behaviorMonitor which directories UwAmp attempts to load DLLs from during startup. You can use tools like Process Monitor (from Sysinternals) to trace DLL loading, or check if the application is run from a directory where other users have write access (such as a shared or public location).Affected if UwAmp is run from a directory where other users can place files, or the application loads DLLs from its current working directory rather than using secure paths only.
You are affected if UwAmp version 1.1 through 3.0.2 is installed AND unexpected DLL files exist in the application directory or its subdirectories are writable by untrusted users.
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 dataIf an official patch is available from UwAmp, apply it immediately. Otherwise, remove or rename any extraneous DLL files from UwAmp's accessible directories, restrict file write permissions to the application directory, and consider using DLL search order hijacking mitigation tools or moving to an alternative WAMP stack.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31637 — 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-2021-31637 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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