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Tracer ConciergeApplication · Trane

CVE-2021-38450

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.4 / 5.5 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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
The affected controllers do not properly sanitize the input containing code syntax. As a result, an attacker could craft code to alter the intended controller flow of the software.

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

This is a code injection vulnerability in affected controllers where user-supplied input containing code syntax is not properly sanitized before processing. An attacker can exploit this by injecting malicious code through input fields, allowing them to alter the intended controller flow and potentially execute arbitrary commands or manipulate system behavior.

MitigationImplement robust input sanitization and validation on all controller inputs, using allowlisting where possible and rejecting any input containing code syntax characters or patterns. Additionally, apply the principle of least privilege to limit the impact of successful exploitation.

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
Tracer ConciergeApplication
Affected:< 5.5= 5.5
Tracer Sc FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 4.4= 4.4
Tracer Sc\+ FirmwareOperating system
Affected:< 5.5= 5.5

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the Trane controller product model
    Locate the controller nameplate, BMS system inventory, or access the controller's web interface to confirm whether the device is a Tracer Concierge, Tracer Sc, or Tracer Sc+ unit.
    Affected if The model is Tracer Concierge, Tracer Sc, or Tracer Sc+.
  2. Determine the installed firmware version
    Access the controller's web interface, BMS management console, or use the vendor's diagnostic tool to retrieve the firmware version number. For Tracer Concierge, look in the system settings or about page. For Tracer Sc/Sc+, use the Trane Tracer SC interface or SNMP/sysinfo query.
    Affected if The firmware version is Tracer Concierge <5.5 or =5.5, Tracer Sc <4.4 or =4.4, or Tracer Sc+ <5.5 or =5.5.
  3. Verify if web-based input interfaces are accessible
    Check network segmentation and firewall rules to determine whether the controller's web interface or any API endpoints accepting user input are reachable from untrusted network segments. Attempt to access the login page or input forms from an external host if authorized.
    Affected if The web interface or input API endpoints are exposed to network segments that users or attackers can access.
  4. Confirm whether default authentication is in use
    Review the controller's authentication configuration through the web interface or management console. Check if default credentials remain active, or if local/network authentication is required for input submission.
    Affected if The controller accepts input through unauthenticated endpoints or uses default/weak credentials.

A user is affected if they have a Tracer Concierge (version <5.5 or =5.5), Tracer Sc (<4.4 or =4.4), or Tracer Sc+ (<5.5 or =5.5) with accessible input interfaces that process unsanitized user-supplied data.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.4 / 5.5 or later
Fixed in 4.45.5
Interim mitigation

Implement robust input sanitization and validation on all controller inputs, using allowlisting where possible and rejecting any input containing code syntax characters or patterns. Additionally, apply the principle of least privilege to limit the impact of successful exploitation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Tracer Concierge: 5.6+ | Tracer Sc: 4.5+ | Tracer Sc+: 5.6+

  1. 1. Identify the specific Tracer product model (Concierge, Sc, or Sc+) currently deployed
  2. 2. Determine the current firmware/software version installed on the affected controller
  3. 3. For Tracer Concierge: upgrade to version 5.6 or later
  4. 4. For Tracer Sc Firmware: upgrade to version 4.5 or later
  5. 5. For Tracer Sc+ Firmware: upgrade to version 5.6 or later
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the controller operates as expected and test that input sanitization is functioning properly
Caveat Review release notes for any changes to controller behavior or configuration requirements before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Tracer Concierge Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,880
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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-2021-38450 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