Code With MeApplication · Jetbrains

CVE-2021-31899

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-11

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 2021.1 or later.

See remediation →

94/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

In JetBrains Code With Me bundled to the compatible IDEs before version 2021.1, the client could execute code in read-only mode.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

In JetBrains Code With Me (a collaborative coding feature in JetBrains IDEs), a vulnerability existed before version 2021.1 that allowed a client connected in read-only mode to execute arbitrary code, bypassing the intended read-only access restrictions. This represents an authorization bypass where the security control enforcing read-only access was not properly enforced.

MitigationUpgrade JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.) to version 2021.1 or later to receive the patched Code With Me component.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Code With MeApplication

Affected:< 2021.1

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Verify Code With Me plugin is installed

Open JetBrains IDE (IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.), go to Settings/Preferences > Plugins, and look for 'Code With Me' in the installed plugins list

Affected if Code With Me plugin is present and enabled in the IDE
Determine IDE version

In the IDE, go to Help > About (on Windows/Linux) or JetBrains IDE > About (on macOS). The version number is displayed (for example, 2020.3, 2020.2, etc.)

Affected if The IDE version is older than 2021.1 (such as 2020.3, 2020.2, 2020.1, etc.)
Confirm read-only access is in use

Check if the IDE is being used in a collaborative session where read-only access was granted to another user. Look for the Code With Me status indicator in the status bar or the participants list in the collaboration dialog

Affected if A Code With Me session is active where the local user has granted read-only access to a remote participant
Compare version against affected range

If Code With Me is installed, cross-reference the IDE version found in step 2 with the affected range: any version prior to 2021.1 is vulnerable

Affected if IDE version is listed as 2020.x or any version number lower than 2021.1

A user is affected if Code With Me is installed and the JetBrains IDE version is 2020.x or any version prior to 2021.1, especially when read-only collaboration sessions are active.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 2021.1 or later

Fixed in 2021.1

Interim mitigation

Upgrade JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc.) to version 2021.1 or later to receive the patched Code With Me component.

Recommended fix High confidence

JetBrains IDEs with Code With Me version 2021.1 or later

Open your JetBrains IDE and navigate to Help > About to check the current Code With Me version
Ensure your IDE version includes Code With Me version 2021.1 or later
If running an IDE version earlier than 2021.1, upgrade your JetBrains IDE to version 2021.1 or later which bundles the fixed Code With Me plugin
After upgrade, verify the Code With Me plugin version is 2021.1 or higher in Settings > Plugins

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Code With Me Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation1.0 h
Implementation2.0 h
Testing1.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

5.0 hours of engineering $890

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31899 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References

Primary sources

blog.jetbrains.comVendor Advisory
blog.jetbrains.comVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-31899 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2021-31899?

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

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

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
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 2021.1 or later

Severity 8.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 1.3%

Affects: Code With Me

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Code With Me 5 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $890

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2021-31899 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

CVSS 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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References