dbcve.org
True ImageApplication · Acronis

CVE-2021-32578

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-08-05
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Acronis True Image prior to 2021 Update 4 for Windows allowed local privilege escalation due to improper soft link handling (issue 2 of 2).

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 confidence

Acronis True Image for Windows prior to 2021 Update 4 contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability due to improper soft link (symbolic link) handling. An attacker with low-privileged access can exploit improper validation of symbolic links to manipulate file system objects and gain elevated (SYSTEM) privileges.

MitigationApply Acronis True Image 2021 Update 4 or later to remediate the soft link handling vulnerability. For existing deployments, upgrade the software across all affected Windows 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
True ImageApplication
Affected:= 2021

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 checks

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

  1. Confirm Acronis True Image 2021 is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product' in PowerShell, and look for 'Acronis True Image 2021' in the installed programs list
    Affected if Acronis True Image 2021 appears in the installed programs list
  2. Obtain the exact version number
    Right-click the Acronis True Image shortcut, select Properties, and check the 'Details' tab for the version number. Alternatively, navigate to the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Acronis\TrueImage) and right-click the executable to view version info
    Affected if The version number shown is below the Update 4 threshold (verify against Acronis release notes for the exact build number)
  3. Check the build or update level via the application UI
    Launch Acronis True Image, go to Help > About or Account > Subscription to view the build number and update level
    Affected if The displayed build shows an update level prior to Update 4

A system is affected if Acronis True Image 2021 is installed and the version/build is earlier than the 2021 Update 4 release.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Acronis True Image 2021 Update 4 or later to remediate the soft link handling vulnerability. For existing deployments, upgrade the software across all affected Windows systems.

Fix this in True Image Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2021-32578 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • 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