CVE-2021-36100
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 · uneditedSpecially crafted string in OTRS system configuration can allow the execution of any system command.
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 confidenceCommand injection vulnerability in OTRS (Open Ticket Request System) system configuration where a specially crafted string can be injected to execute arbitrary system commands on the host.
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< 7.0.28>= 7.0.30, < 7.0.33>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.21< 7.0.19>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.28< 8.0.12CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed OTRS versionAccess the OTRS admin panel (typically at /otrs/index.pl) and navigate to Admin > System Information, or check the VERSION file in the OTRS root directory if you have server accessAffected if The version number falls within any of these ranges: OTRS < 7.0.28; >= 7.0.30 and < 7.0.33; >= 8.0.0 and < 8.0.21; OTRS ITSM < 7.0.19; >= 8.0.0 and < 8.0.28; OTRS Storm < 8.0.12
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Verify web interface is accessibleConfirm the OTRS web interface is reachable and that you have administrative access to the system configuration moduleAffected if The web interface is exposed and you have admin-level access to modify system configuration settings
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Inspect system configuration for suspicious entriesNavigate to Admin > System Configuration (or SysConfig) and review all entries, particularly any that contain shell metacharacters like ; | ` $ ( ) or unexpected external URLsAffected if Any system configuration parameter contains encoded or plaintext command injection payloads, unexpected IP addresses, or suspicious command strings
You are affected if your installed OTRS version matches the vulnerable ranges AND the web administrative interface is accessible with configuration modification privileges, as the command injection occurs through specially crafted strings saved in system configuration settings.
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 · scoped7.0.197.0.287.0.33
Apply the official OTRS security patch or upgrade to a patched version, then audit system configuration for any malicious entries.
OTRS 7.0.33+ / 8.0.21+ | OTRS ITSM 7.0.19+ / 8.0.28+ | OTRS Storm 8.0.12+
- 1. Backup your current OTRS database and configuration files
- 2. Identify your current OTRS version (Admin > System > System Information)
- 3. For OTRS: upgrade to version 7.0.33 or later (or 8.0.21 or later if on 8.x)
- 4. For OTRS ITSM: upgrade to version 7.0.19 or later (or 8.0.28 or later if on 8.x)
- 5. For OTRS Storm: upgrade to version 8.0.12 or later
- 6. After upgrade, clear OTRS cache: bin/otrs.Console.pl Maint::Cache::Delete
- 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version in Admin interface
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-36100 — 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-2021-36100 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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- 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
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