dbcve.org
Patch ManagerApplication · Solarwinds

CVE-2021-35217

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2020.2.5 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS 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
Insecure Deseralization of untrusted data remote code execution vulnerability was discovered in Patch Manager Orion Platform Integration module and reported to us by ZDI. An Authenticated Attacker could exploit it by executing WSAsyncExecuteTasks deserialization of untrusted data.

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

Insecure deserialization vulnerability in Patch Manager Orion Platform's Integration module allows authenticated attackers to achieve remote code execution through the WSAsyncExecuteTasks endpoint by sending specially crafted malicious serialized data.

MitigationApply vendor patches for CVE-2021-35217; if patches unavailable, restrict access to the WSAsyncExecuteTasks functionality to only trusted authenticated users and monitor for suspicious deserialization activity.

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
Patch ManagerApplication
Affected:<= 2020.2.5

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify if Solarwinds Patch Manager is installed
    Check the installed programs list or look for Solarwinds Patch Manager service in Windows Services
    Affected if Solarwinds Patch Manager is not present on the system
  2. Check installed Patch Manager version
    Open the Patch Manager console and locate the version information in About or Help, or check the program files directory for version metadata
    Affected if Version number is 2020.2.5 or lower
  3. Verify WSAsyncExecuteTasks endpoint accessibility
    Check the Orion Platform web configuration or IIS settings for the WSAsyncExecuteTasks.asmx endpoint availability
    Affected if The endpoint is exposed and accessible to network users
  4. Confirm Integration module is enabled
    Review the Patch Manager module configuration or Services dashboard to see if the Integration module is loaded and active
    Affected if Integration module is enabled and running

The environment is affected if Solarwinds Patch Manager version 2020.2.5 or lower is installed with the Integration module enabled and the WSAsyncExecuteTasks endpoint accessible to authenticated users.

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 a release after 2020.2.5
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches for CVE-2021-35217; if patches unavailable, restrict access to the WSAsyncExecuteTasks functionality to only trusted authenticated users and monitor for suspicious deserialization activity.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Patch Manager version 2020.2.6 or later (latest available version recommended)

  1. Verify current Patch Manager version by checking the Orion Web Console or installed software details
  2. Obtain the latest Patch Manager version from SolarWinds official download portal or contact SolarWinds customer support
  3. Review SolarWinds release notes and security advisories for version 2020.2.6 or later to confirm the fix for CVE-2021-35217 is included
  4. Backup current configuration and database before upgrading
  5. Follow standard SolarWinds upgrade procedure: stop all Orion services, run the installer, verify services restart successfully
  6. Confirm the WSAsyncExecuteTasks endpoint is no longer vulnerable by verifying the patch was applied
Caveat Review upgrade prerequisites and compatibility with other Orion Platform modules; some upgrades may require simultaneous updates to dependent components

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

Fix this in Patch Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

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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-2021-35217 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