CVE-2021-32087
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 was discovered in Quest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SMA) 11.0.273. It installs with default user credentials. The kbftp account has a password of getbxf, which is publicly known and documented. This allows remote attackers to trivially gain privileged access to the FTP service interface, which contains MySQL backups. Sensitive information is stored in the database, such as privileged credentials for other systems.
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 confidenceQuest KACE Systems Deployment Appliance version 11.0.273 ships with a hardcoded default credential for the kbftp account (password: getbxf). This publicly known password allows remote attackers trivial access to the FTP service, which contains MySQL database backups. These backups store sensitive information including privileged credentials for other systems.
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= 11.0.273CVSS 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
- 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? 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 installed KACE versionAccess the KACE admin console or check system information page. Navigate to Settings > About or use the API endpoint /api/sma/about to retrieve the exact version number.Affected if Version is 11.0.273 (exact match required)
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Verify FTP service statusCheck if the FTP service is enabled and running on the KACE appliance. This can be done via the admin console under Networking > Services or by running 'service kftp status' via SSH access if available.Affected if FTP service is enabled and running
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Check FTP authentication configurationAttempt to verify the FTP user account configuration. Check if the default 'kbftp' user account exists in the system. This may require root SSH access to examine /etc/passwd or the KACE user database.Affected if The kbftp user account exists and uses the default password 'getbxf'
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Inspect FTP backup directoryIf FTP access is available, examine the default FTP directory for MySQL database backup files (.sql or .gz files). The typical path is /ftproot or the default upload directory configured in the FTP service.Affected if Database backup files are present in the FTP directory
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Review access logs for unauthorized FTP connectionsCheck FTP server logs (typically in /var/log/vsftpd.log or similar) for connections using the kbftp account, especially from unexpected IP addresses or at unusual times.Affected if Multiple failed or successful FTP login attempts from unknown sources are found
The environment is affected if running exactly version 11.0.273 with the FTP service enabled and the default kbftp credentials unchanged.
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.
dbcve · scopedImmediately change the default kbftp password to a strong, unique value, or disable the account if the FTP service is not required. Review FTP and database access logs for evidence of unauthorized access.
Contact Quest support for the latest fixed release; available patches or firmware updates should be requested
- Immediately change the default password for the kbftp account from 'getbxf' to a strong, unique password using the KACE SMA administrative interface or CLI
- Restrict network access to the FTP service to only trusted internal IP addresses or networks
- Contact Quest KACE support (support.quest.com) to verify if a patched firmware version addressing the hard-coded credential issue is available
- Audit the MySQL backups accessible via the FTP service for any exposed credentials and rotate any compromised credentials for connected systems
- Review access logs for the FTP service for any unauthorized access attempts using the default credentials
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-32087 — 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-2021-32087 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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