CVE-2021-38452
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 · uneditedA path traversal vulnerability in the Moxa MXview Network Management software Versions 3.x to 3.2.2 may allow an attacker to create or overwrite critical files used to execute code, such as programs or libraries.
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 confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in Moxa MXview Network Management software versions 3.x to 3.2.2 allows unauthenticated attackers to manipulate file path inputs to create or overwrite critical system files, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution by writing to executable directories.
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>= 3.0, <= 3.2.2CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 MXview versionCheck the installed version of Moxa MXview - typically found in the software about page, installation directory, or by running 'mxview -v' or checking the uninstall information in the system registry on WindowsAffected if The installed version is 3.0, 3.1.x, 3.2.0, 3.2.1, or 3.2.2
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Confirm web service is runningVerify the MXview web interface service is active - check if port 8080, 8443, or the configured web service port is listeningAffected if The web service is running and accessible, enabling the path traversal attack vector
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Review web service file operation permissionsExamine the file upload and file operation functionality exposed through the web interface - these endpoints accept file path inputs that could be manipulatedAffected if File write operations are permitted through the web API without proper path sanitization validation
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Check filesystem permissions on executable directoriesInspect write permissions on directories where MXview stores executable files, scripts, or configuration files that could be overwrittenAffected if The MXview service account has write access to directories containing executable files or scripts that could be leveraged for code execution
The environment is affected if MXview version is 3.0 through 3.2.2 and the web interface is accessible, since the path traversal flaw allows attackers to write files to executable locations.
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 to a patched version if available; otherwise, implement strict input validation and path sanitization on file operations, restrict file system write permissions to necessary directories, and apply network segmentation to limit exposure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38452 — 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-2021-38452 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
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