CVE-2021-35529
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 · uneditedInsufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability in client environment of Hitachi ABB Power Grids Retail Operations and Counterparty Settlement Billing (CSB) allows an attacker or unauthorized user to access database credentials, shut down the product and access or alter. This issue affects: Hitachi ABB Power Grids Retail Operations version 5.7.2 and prior versions. Hitachi ABB Power Grids Counterparty Settlement Billing (CSB) version 5.7.2 and prior versions.
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 confidenceInsufficiently Protected Credentials vulnerability in the client environment of Hitachi ABB Power Grids Retail Operations and CSB allows unauthorized access to database credentials. An attacker who obtains these credentials can shut down the product and access or alter data.
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< 5.7.3< 5.7.3CVSS 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 versionLocate the product's version information in the installation directory, configuration files, or by running the product's version command. Common locations include about dialogs, version.info files, or release notes.Affected if The installed version is lower than 5.7.3 for either Hitachienergy Counterparty Settlement And Billing or Hitachienergy Retail Operations
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Locate credential configuration filesSearch the client environment for configuration files that store database connection strings, credentials, or authentication parameters. Check installation directories, config folders, and data directories for files like connection.config, db.config, credentials.properties, or similar.Affected if Credential configuration files exist in the client environment
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Inspect credential storage formatOpen the identified credential configuration files and examine whether passwords, database credentials, or API keys are stored in plaintext. Look for patterns like password=somevalue or <password>somevalue</password>.Affected if Credentials are stored in plaintext within configuration files without encryption or obfuscation
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Verify credential file access controlsCheck file system permissions on credential configuration files to determine if they are readable by unauthorized users or processes beyond the intended application account.Affected if Credential files have overly permissive access controls allowing unauthorized read access
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Search for hardcoded credentials in client codeInspect any client-side scripts, configuration files, or application files for hardcoded database passwords, username/password pairs, or API tokens used for product connectivity.Affected if Hardcoded plaintext credentials are found embedded in client-side files or scripts
You are affected if the installed product version is below 5.7.3 AND credentials are stored without encryption or protection in the client environment.
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.
dbcve · scoped5.7.3
Implement proper credential protection mechanisms such as encryption at rest, secure credential storage (e.g., using a secrets manager or encrypted configuration), and ensure credentials are not exposed in plaintext within the client environment.
Version 5.7.3
- Perform a complete backup of the current system including database and configuration files
- Download Hitachi ABB Power Grids Retail Operations and Counterparty Settlement Billing version 5.7.3 from the official ABB download portal (search.abb.com)
- Review the official upgrade documentation for version 5.7.3 before proceeding
- Execute the upgrade process according to ABB's documented procedures for your specific deployment mode
- After upgrade, verify the version number has updated to 5.7.3 in the product information
- Confirm database credentials are now properly protected per the security fix
- Test that the product functions normally and all services start successfully
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-35529 — 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-2021-35529 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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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.
- 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