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Device ManagerApplication · Axis

CVE-2021-31989

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-25
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.16.063 or later.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
A user with permission to log on to the machine hosting the AXIS Device Manager client could under certain conditions extract a memory dump from the built-in Windows Task Manager application. The memory dump may potentially contain credentials of connected Axis devices.

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 confidence

A local authenticated user with logon access to the machine running AXIS Device Manager can under specific conditions extract memory dumps via Windows Task Manager. These memory dumps may contain plaintext credentials of connected Axis devices, exposing sensitive authentication data stored in process memory.

MitigationRestrict local user permissions to prevent unauthorized access to Task Manager memory dump functionality, and investigate applying vendor patches to address how credentials are handled in AXIS Device Manager process memory.

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
Device ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 5.00.010, <= 5.16.063

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.

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Verify Axis Device Manager is installed
    Check for Axis Device Manager in the Windows Programs and Features list, or look for the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Axis Communications\Axis Device Manager).
    Affected if Axis Device Manager is present on the system.
  2. Identify the installed version of Axis Device Manager
    Open the Windows Task Manager, locate the 'adm.exe' or 'Axis Device Manager' process, right-click and select Properties, or check the version in the program's About/Help section.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the range >= 5.00.010 and <= 5.16.063.
  3. Confirm local user has access to Windows Task Manager
    Verify the user account can launch Task Manager (taskmgr.exe) and access the 'Create dump file' option when right-clicking on a running process.
    Affected if The authenticated user can access Task Manager and create memory dumps.
  4. Check for running Axis Device Manager process
    Open Task Manager, go to the Processes tab, and look for 'adm.exe' or 'Axis Device Manager' in the list of running processes.
    Affected if The Axis Device Manager process is currently running.
  5. Verify the user can dump the ADM process memory
    With Task Manager, right-click on the Axis Device Manager process (adm.exe), select 'Create dump file', and confirm the dump file is created in the user's accessible temp folder.
    Affected if The user can successfully create a memory dump of the adm.exe process.

A user is affected if Axis Device Manager version 5.00.010 through 5.16.063 is installed, the application is running, and the user has permissions to access Task Manager and create process memory dumps.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.16.063
Interim mitigation

Restrict local user permissions to prevent unauthorized access to Task Manager memory dump functionality, and investigate applying vendor patches to address how credentials are handled in AXIS Device Manager process memory.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

AXIS Device Manager version > 5.16.063 (latest available version)

  1. 1. Identify all systems running AXIS Device Manager versions 5.00.010 through 5.16.063
  2. 2. Backup any existing AXIS Device Manager configuration and data
  3. 3. Download the latest version of AXIS Device Manager from the official Axis website (www.axis.com)
  4. 4. Uninstall the current version of AXIS Device Manager from affected systems
  5. 5. Install the latest fixed version of AXIS Device Manager
  6. 6. Restore configuration and re-connect to Axis devices
  7. 7. Verify that credentials are no longer exposed in memory dumps
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration changes or migration requirements between versions

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

Fix this in Device Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-31989 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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