CVE-2021-32960
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 · uneditedRockwell Automation FactoryTalk Services Platform v6.11 and earlier, if FactoryTalk Security is enabled and deployed contains a vulnerability that may allow a remote, authenticated attacker to bypass FactoryTalk Security policies based on the computer name. If successfully exploited, this may allow an attacker to have the same privileges as if they were logged on to the client machine.
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 confidenceThis is an authentication bypass vulnerability in Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Services Platform where an authenticated attacker can circumvent security policies by exploiting how computer names are validated. When FactoryTalk Security is enabled, the system improperly trusts computer name-based authentication, allowing a remote attacker to inherit the full privileges of the local user session.
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<= 6.11.00CVSS 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 FactoryTalk Services Platform installationCheck Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Rockwell Software\FactoryTalk Services Platform\Common or look for the product in Windows Programs and FeaturesAffected if FactoryTalk Services Platform is installed with version 6.11.00 or lower
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Determine installed version numberIn the registry, read the Version value from HKLM\SOFTWARE\Rockwell Software\FactoryTalk Services Platform\Common, or right-click the application in Programs and Features to view the version propertyAffected if The installed version is 6.11.00 or any version lower than it
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Verify FactoryTalk Security configuration statusOpen FactoryTalk Administration Console and navigate to System > Security > Security Settings, or check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Rockwell Software\FactoryTalk Security\CurrentVersion\EnabledAffected if FactoryTalk Security is currently enabled (set to 1 or True)
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Inspect computer name validation settingsReview FactoryTalk Security configuration files in the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\FactoryTalk Services\) or check the Security Settings dialog for computer name-based authentication rulesAffected if Computer name-based authentication or legacy authentication methods are permitted in the security configuration
You are affected if FactoryTalk Services Platform version 6.11.00 or lower is installed AND FactoryTalk Security is enabled, allowing computer name-based authentication that can be exploited by an authenticated attacker.
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 dataUpdate FactoryTalk Services Platform to a version beyond v6.11 when available. If no patch exists, review FactoryTalk Security configuration for compensating controls such as network segmentation, strict access control lists, and monitoring for anomalous authentication patterns.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-32960 — 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-2021-32960 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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