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CommcellApplication · Commvault

CVE-2021-34993

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-13
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 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
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to bypass authentication on affected installations of Commvault CommCell 11.22.22. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the CVSearchService service. The issue results from the lack of proper validation prior to authentication. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to bypass authentication on the system. Was ZDI-CAN-13706.

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

This is an authentication bypass vulnerability in the CVSearchService of Commvault CommCell 11.22.22. The flaw allows remote unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication entirely due to lack of proper validation occurring before authentication checks. The attack vector is network-based and requires no credentials.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for CVE-2021-34993 immediately. Until patched, restrict network access to the CVSearchService and CommCell management interfaces to reduce exposure, as the vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication.

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
CommcellApplication
Affected:= 11.22.22

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 Commvault CommCell version
    Access the CommCell Console or use the command line qoperation executility to retrieve the CommCell version. In the CommCell Console, go to the CommCell node in the tree view and check the version property, or run 'qoperation executility -cmd getbuild' to get the build number.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 11.22.22 (this specific build number)
  2. Locate the CVSearchService
    On the CommCell server, check if the CVSearchService is installed and running. This can be done by reviewing the Windows Services list (services.msc) for 'CVSearchService' or checking the Commvault installation directory for the CVSearch component.
    Affected if CVSearchService is present and running on the CommCell server
  3. Verify CVSearchService network exposure
    Check network listening ports on the CommCell server to determine if CVSearchService is bound to network interfaces. Use 'netstat -an' or a port scanner to identify which ports CVSearchService is listening on, particularly port 80 or 443 if used by the search service.
    Affected if CVSearchService is listening on a network-accessible port (not localhost only)
  4. Assess external accessibility
    From an external network location, attempt to reach the CVSearchService endpoint. The service typically exposes endpoints under paths like '/SearchSvc/CVSearchService' or similar search-related URLs. Use curl or a browser to test unauthenticated access.
    Affected if The CVSearchService endpoint is reachable from untrusted networks without authentication

A system is affected if it is running Commvault CommCell version 11.22.22 with the CVSearchService exposed to network access, allowing remote unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication.

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 the vendor patch for CVE-2021-34993 immediately. Until patched, restrict network access to the CVSearchService and CommCell management interfaces to reduce exposure, as the vulnerability is remotely exploitable without authentication.

Fix this in Commcell Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2021-34993 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