CVE-2021-38422
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 · uneditedDelta Electronics DIALink versions 1.2.4.0 and prior stores sensitive information in cleartext, which may allow an attacker to have extensive access to the application directory and escalate privileges.
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 confidenceDelta Electronics DIALink versions 1.2.4.0 and prior stores sensitive information (credentials, configuration secrets, or authentication data) in cleartext files within the application directory. An attacker with read access to the application directory can obtain these unencrypted credentials and use them to escalate privileges to higher-privileged accounts or system components.
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<= 1.2.4.0CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 DIALink versionLocate the DIALink installation directory and check for version information in the application executable, an about dialog, or a version file. Common locations include Program Files\Delta Electronics\DIALink or C:\Program Files (x86)\Delta Electronics\DIALink. Use 'dir' or file explorer to list files, and check properties of the main executable for version details.Affected if The installed version is 1.2.4.0 or any earlier version.
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Locate configuration and credential filesNavigate to the DIALink application directory and identify configuration files such as config.xml, settings.xml, .ini files, or any file with 'config', 'settings', 'credential', 'password', or 'secret' in the filename. Use command: 'dir /s /b C:\[path\to\DIALink]\*config*.*' or 'dir /s /b C:\[path\to\DIALink]\*password*.*' to enumerate potential credential-containing files.Affected if Configuration files exist in the application directory.
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Examine files for cleartext credentialsOpen the identified configuration files using a text editor or use 'type [filename]' command to view their contents. Search for patterns such as 'password=', 'pwd=', 'user=', 'username=', 'secret=', 'key=', 'token=', or unencrypted string values that appear to be credentials, API keys, or authentication tokens.Affected if Any file contains readable usernames, passwords, API keys, tokens, or other authentication data in unencrypted plain text.
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Verify filesystem permissionsCheck who has read access to the DIALink application directory by right-clicking the folder, selecting Properties > Security, or using 'icacls [path\to\DIALink]' command. Verify if non-privileged users or the 'Users' group have read permissions.Affected if Users other than administrators or the system account have read access to the application directory containing sensitive configuration files.
You are affected if DIALink version 1.2.4.0 or prior is installed and cleartext credentials, passwords, API keys, or authentication tokens are present in configuration files within the application directory accessible to non-admin users.
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 dataUpgrade DIALink to a version beyond 1.2.4.0 that implements proper encryption or secure credential storage. If no update is available, rotate any exposed credentials immediately, restrict filesystem permissions on the application directory, and implement monitoring for unauthorized access to sensitive configuration files.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38422 — 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-2021-38422 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data