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Batch ManagementApplication · Aveva

CVE-2021-38410

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-27
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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
AVEVA Software Platform Common Services (PCS) Portal versions 4.5.2, 4.5.1, 4.5.0, and 4.4.6 are vulnerable to DLL hijacking through an uncontrolled search path element, which may allow an attacker control to one or more locations in the search path.

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 confidence

AVEVA PCS Portal versions 4.4.6 through 4.5.2 contain a DLL hijacking vulnerability where the application uses an uncontrolled search path to load dynamic-link libraries. An attacker who can place a malicious DLL in a location within the search path (such as the application directory or a system path) can cause the application to load and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected application.

MitigationApply vendor-provided patches when available. As an interim measure, ensure the application directory and system PATH locations are secured against unauthorized write access, and verify that only trusted DLLs exist in the application's search path. Consider using absolute paths for DLL loading and enabling safe DLL search mode.

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
Batch ManagementApplication
Affected:= 2020
Enterprise Data ManagementApplication
Affected:= 2020
Manufacturing Execution SystemApplication
Affected:= 2020
Mobile OperatorApplication
Affected:= 2020
Platform Common ServicesApplication
Affected:= 4.4.6= 4.5.0= 4.5.1= 4.5.2
System PlatformApplication
Affected:= 2020
Work TasksApplication
Affected:= 2020

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed AVEVA product and version
    Open Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell for registry key 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' to find AVEVA software and its displayed version
    Affected if The installed product matches one of the affected products (Aveva Batch Management, Aveva Enterprise Data Management, Aveva Manufacturing Execution System, Aveva Mobile Operator, Aveva Platform Common Services, Aveva System Platform, Aveva Work Tasks) with version 2020 or 4.4.6/4.5.0/4.5.1/4.5.2
  2. Locate application executable directory
    Find the main AVEVA application executable (typically in Program Files or Program Files (x86)\AVEVA) by right-clicking the shortcut and checking the 'Start in' path, or using 'Get-Process' and '(Get-Process -Name ProcessName).Path'
    Affected if You have located the directory where the AVEVA executable runs from
  3. Check application directory for write access
    Right-click the application directory in File Explorer, go to Properties > Security, and verify which users have Write or Modify permissions. Alternatively, use 'icacls "C:\Path\To\AVEVA"' in command prompt
    Affected if Any unprivileged user or attacker can write files to the application directory
  4. Enumerate DLLs in application directory
    Open the application directory in File Explorer and list all .dll files, or use 'Get-ChildItem "C:\Path\To\AVEVA" -Filter *.dll | Select Name' in PowerShell
    Affected if There are unexpected DLLs present that are not part of the standard installation or that were placed by an attacker
  5. Verify DLL search path configuration
    Check if the application loads DLLs from the current directory first by examining system-wide DLL search order settings via registry 'HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\SafeDllSearchMode' (value 1 is safe) or by inspecting the application behavior
    Affected if Safe DLL search mode is disabled (value 0) or the application explicitly uses current directory in its DLL search path

You are affected if you have any of the listed AVEVA products installed with version 2020 or versions 4.4.6 through 4.5.2, and the application directory or a system PATH location is writable by an untrusted user who could place a malicious DLL.

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 vendor-provided patches when available. As an interim measure, ensure the application directory and system PATH locations are secured against unauthorized write access, and verify that only trusted DLLs exist in the application's search path. Consider using absolute paths for DLL loading and enabling safe DLL search mode.

Fix this in Batch Management Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2021-38410 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