CVE-2021-39031
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 WebSphere Application Server - Liberty 17.0.0.3 through 22.0.0.1 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to conduct an LDAP injection. By using a specially crafted request, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability and could result in in granting permission to unauthorized resources. IBM X-Force ID: 213875.
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 WebSphere Application Server Liberty versions 17.0.0.3 through 22.0.0.1 contains an LDAP injection vulnerability due to improper input validation. A remote authenticated attacker can craft specially designed requests to manipulate LDAP queries, potentially granting unauthorized access to resources.
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>= 17.0.0.3, <= 22.0.0.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check the installed WebSphere Application Server Liberty versionRun the command 'productInfo version' from the Liberty installation bin directory, or check the 'productInfo' element in the server.xml configuration file located in the wlp/usr/servers/<serverName>/ directory.Affected if The version is between 17.0.0.3 and 22.0.0.1 inclusive.
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Verify if LDAP registry is configuredInspect the server.xml file in the wlp/usr/servers/<serverName>/ directory for LDAP-related configuration elements such as <ldapRegistry>, <ldapUserRegistry>, or <ldapIdentityProvider>.Affected if An LDAP registry is configured and the server version is within the affected range.
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Identify applications using LDAP with user inputReview application code or configuration for LDAP search or bind operations that incorporate user-supplied parameters. Check Java source files for javax.naming.ldap.LdapContext, DirContext, or similar LDAP API usage with request parameters.Affected if Applications perform LDAP queries using user input and the server version is within the affected range.
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Review LDAP filter configurations for dynamic inputExamine ldapFilter or similar attributes in server.xml or application descriptors. Look for patterns where user parameters might be concatenated into LDAP filter strings without proper escaping.Affected if LDAP filters accept dynamic user input and the server version is within the affected range.
The environment is affected if the installed IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty version falls between 17.0.0.3 and 22.0.0.1 and the server is configured to use LDAP authentication or LDAP-based user registries with user-supplied input in queries.
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 IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty to a version beyond 22.0.0.1 that contains the security patch. As a temporary mitigation, implement strict input validation on all user-supplied data used in LDAP queries.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-39031 — 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-2021-39031 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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