dbcve.org
System PlatformApplication · Aveva

CVE-2021-32985

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-04-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2020 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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
AVEVA System Platform versions 2017 through 2020 R2 P01 does not properly verify that the source of data or communication is valid.

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

AVEVA System Platform versions 2017 through 2020 R2 P01 contains a vulnerability where the software fails to properly validate the source of incoming data or network communications. This could allow an attacker to send malicious data or commands by spoofing a legitimate source, potentially leading to unauthorized operations or data manipulation in the industrial environment.

MitigationImplement network segmentation and strict access controls to limit exposure to untrusted networks. Ensure all communications utilize strong authentication mechanisms and consider adding message authentication/verification layers to confirm source legitimacy.

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
System PlatformApplication
Affected:>= 2017, < 2020= 2020

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed AVEVA System Platform version
    Locate the AVEVA System Platform installation and retrieve its version information (commonly found in installation directories, registry entries, or product About dialogs)
    Affected if The installed version is 2017, 2018, 2019, or 2020 (any release) - these versions fall within >= 2017, < 2020 or = 2020
  2. Determine if network communications are enabled
    Inspect system configuration to identify whether network listeners, data receivers, or communication services that accept incoming data are active
    Affected if Network services that receive external data or commands are enabled and exposed
  3. Check source validation configuration
    Examine configuration files, settings, or registry entries related to incoming data validation, peer authentication, or source verification settings
    Affected if Source validation is disabled, set to optional, or not properly enforcing authentication on incoming connections
  4. Identify communication pathways
    Review network topology and communication configurations to determine if the system receives data from external sources or untrusted networks
    Affected if The system accepts network communications from sources outside the trusted internal network

A user is affected if they are running AVEVA System Platform versions 2017 through 2020 and the system accepts network communications from external sources without proper source validation in place.

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 2020 or later
Fixed in 2020
Interim mitigation

Implement network segmentation and strict access controls to limit exposure to untrusted networks. Ensure all communications utilize strong authentication mechanisms and consider adding message authentication/verification layers to confirm source legitimacy.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

AVEVA System Platform 2020 R2 P02 or later (2021 and beyond)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of AVEVA System Platform (e.g., 2017, 2017 SP1, 2017 SP2, 2019, 2020, or 2020 R2 P01)
  2. 2. Review the AVEVA System Platform 2020 R2 P02 release notes to confirm the security fix for CVE-2021-32985 is included
  3. 3. Back up all System Platform configurations, projects, and databases before proceeding with the upgrade
  4. 4. Download AVEVA System Platform 2020 R2 P02 (or a later fixed version) from the AVEVA Customer Portal
  5. 5. Install the upgrade following the standard AVEVA System Platform installation procedures
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify that the origin validation fix is properly applied by reviewing the security configuration
  7. 7. Test critical operations to ensure normal functionality after the upgrade
Caveat Review upgrade compatibility guides; ensure all third-party integrations and custom configurations are tested in a non-production environment before deploying to production

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

Fix this in System Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation24.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
56.0 hours of engineering $9,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $15,616.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-32985 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2021-32985 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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