CVE-2021-31817
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 · uneditedWhen configuring Octopus Server if it is configured with an external SQL database, on initial configuration the database password is written to the OctopusServer.txt log file in plaintext.
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 confidenceOctopus Server versions with external SQL database configuration write the database password in plaintext to the OctopusServer.txt log file during initial setup, exposing credentials through log files.
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>= 2020.6.0, < 2020.6.5146>= 2021.1.0, < 2021.1.7316CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Determine installed Octopus Server versionCheck the installed version through the Octopus Manager UI, or query the Windows service properties, or check the program files directory for version informationAffected if The installed version falls within 2020.6.0 to 2020.6.5146, or 2021.1.0 to 2021.1.7316 (versions below 2020.6.5146 or 2021.1.7316)
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Locate OctopusServer.txt log fileFind the main Octopus Server log directory, typically found in the Octopus data or logs folder where the service stores its logsAffected if The log file exists and was created during or near initial setup of the Octopus Server instance
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Search log for plaintext database passwordOpen OctopusServer.txt and search for the SQL database connection string or password field, looking for unencrypted plain text credentials rather than masked or redacted valuesAffected if The log file contains plaintext SQL database password(s) in plain text format visible in the file content
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Identify setup phase entries in logExamine log timestamps and entries around the initial configuration period when the database connection was first configuredAffected if The plaintext password appears in log entries timestamped during the initial setup or first-time database configuration
A user is affected if they run a vulnerable Octopus Server version (2020.6.0-2020.6.5146 or 2021.1.0-2021.1.7316) and the OctopusServer.txt log file contains plaintext SQL database passwords from the initial setup phase.
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 data2020.6.51462021.1.7316
Remove or redact the plaintext password from log files and rotate the exposed SQL database password immediately. Configure log scrubbing to prevent sensitive values from being logged in future configurations.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31817 — 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-2021-31817 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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