CVE-2021-32981
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 · uneditedAVEVA System Platform versions 2017 through 2020 R2 P01 uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the software does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.
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 confidencePath traversal vulnerability in AVEVA System Platform versions 2017-2020 R2 P01 where external input is used to construct file paths without proper sanitization of special elements (e.g., ../ sequences), allowing attackers to access files outside the intended restricted directory.
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>= 2017, < 2020= 2020CVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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 AVEVA System Platform versionOpen Windows Registry Editor and navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\AVEVA\System Platform\ or check the product information in Programs and Features. The version is typically displayed as something like 2017, 2017 SP1, 2019, 2020, or 2020 R2.Affected if The installed version is 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, or 2020 R2 P01 (any version from 2017 through 2020 R2 P01).
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Confirm exact version numberIf the version shows as 2020, verify whether it includes the patch level P01. Check the full version string in the registry or in the program's About/Properties window.Affected if The version is 2017 through 2020 (any build) or specifically 2020 R2 P01.
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Identify if web-facing or external input interfaces existReview AVEVA System Platform configuration for exposed interfaces such as web portals, OPC-UA servers, or other integration endpoints that accept external file path inputs. Check IIS or embedded web server configurations if used.Affected if The System Platform has external interfaces or integrations that process file path inputs from users or external systems.
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Audit application logs for path traversal attemptsReview AVEVA System Platform and Windows Event Viewer logs for patterns like '../' or '..\' in file access requests, particularly from external or unauthenticated sources.
You are affected if AVEVA System Platform version 2017 through 2020 (including 2020 R2 P01) is installed and the system accepts external input that could be used to construct file paths.
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 data2020
Apply vendor-provided patches for AVEVA System Platform; if patches unavailable, implement strict input validation to reject path traversal sequences and enforce directory containment.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-32981 — 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-2021-32981 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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