CVE-2021-38963
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 · uneditedIBM Aspera Console 3.4.0 through 3.4.4 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, caused by a CSV injection vulnerability. By persuading a victim to open a specially crafted file, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the system.
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 confidenceIBM Aspera Console versions 3.4.0 through 3.4.4 contains a CSV injection vulnerability that allows an authenticated remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system. By crafting malicious CSV files containing spreadsheet formula injection payloads (e.g., formulas starting with =, +, -, @), an attacker can achieve code execution when a victim opens the file in a spreadsheet application.
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>= 3.4.0, < 3.4.5CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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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Identify installed IBM Aspera Console versionLocate the version number in the product's web interface (typically in Help > About or the login page footer), or check the installation directory for version manifest filesAffected if The installed version is 3.4.0, 3.4.1, 3.4.2, 3.4.3, or 3.4.4 (any version from 3.4.0 up to but not including 3.4.5)
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Verify access to CSV export functionalityLog into IBM Aspera Console as an authenticated user and navigate to any feature that exports data to CSV format (common locations include reports, user activity logs, transfer history, or administrative reports)Affected if CSV export features are accessible to authenticated users and generate downloadable CSV files
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Inspect exported CSV files for proper formula character escapingExport a sample CSV file from the application, then open it in a text editor and examine whether user-supplied data containing characters =, +, -, or @ are escaped with a leading single quote or other encodingAffected if User-supplied data in CSV exports contains unescaped formula metacharacters (=, +, -, @) that could be executed when opened in spreadsheet software
The environment is affected if IBM Aspera Console version 3.4.0 through 3.4.4 is installed AND authenticated users can export data to CSV files without proper formula character escaping.
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.
dbcve · scoped3.4.5
Implement proper input sanitization and output encoding for CSV exports by escaping formula metacharacters (=, +, -, @, tab, carriage return) in user-supplied data before写入CSV files. Additionally, set Content-Disposition headers to prevent automatic execution.
IBM Aspera Console 3.4.5 or later
- Download IBM Aspera Console version 3.4.5 or later from the official IBM Aspera download portal or IBM Fix Central
- Review the IBM Aspera Console installation and upgrade documentation before proceeding
- Back up the existing Aspera Console configuration and database
- Stop the Aspera Console service before upgrading
- Install version 3.4.5 or the latest available stable release
- Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version number in the console
- Start the Aspera Console service
- Validate that the CSV injection vulnerability is no longer present by ensuring special characters in CSV exports are properly escaped
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38963 — 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-2021-38963 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
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