ConnectApplication · Openvpn
CVE-2021-3613
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 · uneditedOpenVPN Connect 3.2.0 through 3.3.0 allows local users to load arbitrary dynamic loadable libraries via an OpenSSL configuration file if present, which allows the user to run arbitrary code with the same privilege level as the main OpenVPN process (OpenVPNConnect.exe).
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 confidenceOpenVPN Connect versions 3.2.0 through 3.3.0 contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability where the application loads dynamic libraries from an OpenSSL configuration file without proper validation. A local attacker who can place a malicious DLL or modify the OpenSSL config can execute arbitrary code with the same privileges as the OpenVPNConnect.exe process.
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
ConnectApplication
>= 3.2.0, <= 3.3.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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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Check OpenVPN Connect installation path and versionOpen Windows Registry Editor (regedit) and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\OpenVPN Connect or check C:\Program Files\OpenVPN Connect\ for the executable. Right-click on OpenVPNConnect.exe, select Properties, and check the File Version on the Details tab.Affected if The installed version is greater than or equal to 3.2.0 and less than or equal to 3.3.0
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Verify OpenSSL configuration file locationOpen Command Prompt and run: dir /s /b C:\openssl.cnf or check the OpenVPN Connect installation directory for openssl.cnf and any referenced config files.Affected if An OpenSSL configuration file exists in the OpenVPN Connect directory or a path referenced by the application
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Inspect OpenSSL config file permissionsRight-click the OpenSSL configuration file, select Properties, then go to the Security tab. Check the permissions for Users and other non-admin groups.Affected if Users or non-privileged groups have Write or Modify permissions on the OpenSSL configuration file
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Check for malicious DLL placement in application directoriesOpen Command Prompt and run: dir /s /b "C:\Program Files\OpenVPN Connect\*.dll" to list all DLL files in the application directory and subdirectories.Affected if Unexpected or newly created DLL files exist in the OpenVPN Connect installation directory that were not part of the original installation
You are affected if OpenVPN Connect version 3.2.0 through 3.3.0 is installed AND the OpenSSL configuration file is writable by non-privileged users or a malicious DLL exists in the application directory.
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.
From vendor dataUpdate OpenVPN Connect to a version newer than 3.3.0. Additionally, restrict file system permissions on OpenSSL configuration files to prevent unauthorized modification by non-privileged users.
Fix this in Connect
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-3613 — 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-2021-3613 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