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Contact CenterApplication · Sap

CVE-2021-33672

CRITICAL · 9.6 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Due to missing encoding in SAP Contact Center's Communication Desktop component- version 700, an attacker could send malicious script in chat message. When the message is accepted by the chat recipient, the script gets executed in their scope. Due to the usage of ActiveX in the application, the attacker can further execute operating system level commands in the chat recipient's scope. This could lead to a complete compromise of their confidentiality, integrity, and could temporarily impact their availability.

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

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in SAP Contact Center Communication Desktop v700 due to missing input encoding in chat messages. When a recipient accepts a malicious chat message, the script executes in their browser context. The application's use of ActiveX further allows the attacker to execute operating system commands with the victim's privileges, leading to full system compromise.

MitigationImplement proper output encoding for all chat messages and review/disable or secure ActiveX controls in the Communication Desktop component. Apply vendor patches for version 700 or upgrade to a patched version.

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
Contact CenterApplication
Affected:= 700

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/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 SAP Contact Center version
    Check the application version through SAP menu: Help > About SAP Contact Center, or inspect the program files directory for version information typically found in the application's executable or manifest files.
    Affected if Version reported is exactly 700 (e.g., 7.00.00.00, 700.0, or similar version 700 designation)
  2. Confirm Communication Desktop component presence
    Locate the Communication Desktop component files in the SAP Contact Center installation directory, typically under a 'CommunicationDesktop' or 'CCD' subfolder. Check for the presence of the ActiveX control file (typically .ocx extension) used for chat functionality.
    Affected if Communication Desktop component and its ActiveX control files are present on the system
  3. Verify ActiveX control is enabled
    Check Windows registry for ActiveX control registration under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Code Store Database\Distribution Units or HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\Settings for the SAP Communication Desktop ActiveX control. Alternatively, check if the ActiveX control loads in the application when using chat features.
    Affected if ActiveX control for Communication Desktop is registered and enabled, allowing the chat component to load in Internet Explorer or embedded browser contexts
  4. Inspect chat message handling
    If possible, examine network traffic or application logs when sending/receiving chat messages to observe if messages are being processed without visible encoding (though this may require access to source or testing with a probe message).
    Affected if Chat functionality is actively used and the application processes incoming messages without apparent output encoding (this step may require manual testing with a harmless probe)

You are affected if SAP Contact Center version 700 is installed with the Communication Desktop component present and ActiveX controls enabled, allowing chat messages to execute scripts in the browser context and potentially OS commands with user privileges.

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

Implement proper output encoding for all chat messages and review/disable or secure ActiveX controls in the Communication Desktop component. Apply vendor patches for version 700 or upgrade to a patched version.

Fix this in Contact Center Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
34.0 hours of engineering $6,000
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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-2021-33672 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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